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26
INFANTILE MORTALITY.
The coldness of the summer and autumn whilst lessening the number
of fatal cases of diarrhæa increased considerably the number of those of
pneunomia and bronchitis. The deaths from measles and whooping
cough, most likely from the same cause, were much increased.
Premature birth was the cause of death in about the same number
of cases as in the preceding year of 1906. The percentage of those dying
in the first week of life was 16.9 of the total for the year, whilst 30.2 per
cent. died in the first month. So that of the deaths in the first month 56
per cent. died in the first week.
The importance of regularly visiting and reporting on the progress of
infants in the first year of their existence cannot well be over-estimated.
The work, however, if well done takes a vast amount of time to accomplish.
In Southwark a portion of the time of two lady inspectors is
directed to this duty. The history in the case of 310 infants was collected
and the progress followed during the first year, or as long as they
remained in the borough.
It was found that out of the 310 cases, 252 were entirely breastfed,
22 were artificially fed, and 36 were for the first month or more breastfed
and subsequently artificially fed. The chief artificial food being cows
milk. To show the migratory habits of our inhabitants it is only necessary
to state that before the end of the year 172 of the total number of
310 infants had been removed into other boroughs. The removals took
place principally about the 7th month, hardly any up to the 2nd month.
The recorded deaths were 34, and the number that remained with us at
the end of the year was 104. Although the removals from the borough
numbered so many it could not be expected there would be any great
mortality among them, as with very few exceptions they had all been
weaned. This total number of infants systematically reported upon may
be thought to be small, but still it appears to me to be a fair beginning,
and I hope we shall improve upon it in years to come. At the present
time it seems hardly possible that we shall ever be able to examine the
whole of the children born in this populous district as the yearly births
number between 6,000 and 7,000, but public opinion will probably
demand that this work must be done.