View report page

8
The recorded Death-rates for the preceding 13 years
may be found in Table 1 of Vital Statistics appended to
this Report.
INFANT MORTALITY.
This special rate refers to the number of deaths
occurring amongst infants from birth to 1 year of age in
proportion to the number of births registered. These
deaths numbered 27, affording an Infant Mortality Rate
of 89 per 1000 births. This rate has fluctuated during
the last 4 years between 76 and 89 per 1000 births,
which, though quite capable of improvement, is, upon
the whole, fairly satisfactory. This rate for the whole
of England is 132 per 1000 births registered.

Four infants died from Premature Birth, two from
Whooping Cough, four from Diarrhoea, two from
Enteritis, four from General Atrophy, two from Meningitis,
one from Convulsions, four from Pneumonia, and
four from other and general causes.
Undoubtedly some of these deaths were due to preventable
causes. A predominant factor in causing a high
mortality rate amongst infants is ignorance of the
elementary laws of health and hygiene on the parents'
part. Very many of the deaths ascribed to Atrophy,
Debility, and Diarrhoea may be rightly attributed to
ignorance of the mothers in regard to the feeding of
their offsprings. Want of knowledge in regard to the
ordinary precautions necessary for the general treatment
of children suffering from such complaints as Whooping
Cough, Measles, ordinary colds, and. respiratory diseases