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The death-rate for the year is .57, as against .88 last year
and .96 in 1906, the average for the past five years being .76.
Diarrhoea and Epidemic Enteritis was responsible for 9
deaths, corresponding to a death-rate of .14. Last year there
were 17 deaths and a death-rate of .32, whilst the average for
the past ten years is .54.
There were also registered 19 deaths due to Enteritis,
which term also includes Muco-enteritis, Gastro-enteritis and
Gastritis, giving a death-rate due to diarrhœal diseases of .51.
The mortality in Wards and age periods is shown in
Table IV.
Infantile Mortality.—By the term "Infantile Mortality"
is meant the proportion of infants who died before reaching
the age of twelve months to the total number born during the
year. This is the method required by the Local Government
Board in their statistical tables and permits of accurate comparison
with other localities, as in taking the number of
deaths only no reliable data is given for comparison, and to
calculate the infantile death-rate on the population, or on the
deaths at all ages, as is sometimes done, is absolutely valueless.
There were 82 such deaths during the year or 71 per 1,000
births, a decrease of 40 on last year's rate, when there were
125 deaths and a rate of 111. The previous year there were
175 deaths and the rate 147. The average for the past ten
years is 122. Only once previously, as pointed out in the
commencement of the report, has this low figure been surpassed.
This was in 1905, when the rate was 69. The
average for the 142 smaller towns in the Registrar-General's
returns, that is, towns with populations from 20,000 and
under 50,000 at the last census, is 124. Wimbledon's figure
compares very satisfactorily with this.
During the period (the past seven years) that records have
been obtainable of infantile mortality in the various wards,
it is found that South Park Ward has had the highest rate
in three years, St. Mary's in two years, and Dtmdonald and
Trinity Wards one each, the average for the North Wimbledon
Wards for those years being 72, as against 117 in the
South Wimbledon Wards.
Reference to Table V. shows that compared with last
year a marked decrease of deaths due to Whooping Cough
(14), Atrophy, Debility and Marasmus (14), and Pneumonia
(13) has taken place.
Eighteen babies, or about 22 per cent. of the total deaths,
failed to survive the first week of life, and 34 per cent. the
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