[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Brentford].

  • Brentford (London, England). Urban District Council.
Date:
[1915]
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: [Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Brentford]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    5/36 (page 5)
    5 INFANT MORTALITY. The rate of this mortality or the proportion of deaths under 1 year to every 1ooo births inside the town is 96.5. Last year it was 101.8 The average for the last 10 years is 119.5 so that it is 23 below the average and is lower than in any year except 1912. If to the 45 deaths which occurred in the town under 1 year old we add 5 deaths occurring outside the town, we get a total of 50 deaths, and a death rate of 104 8 per thousand births inside and outside the town. In analysing the causes of these deaths, I find 11 were born prematurely, 5 died within a week of birth from debility, and 3 from congenital defects. Diarrhoea caused 9 deaths and diseases of the respiratory organs, 6. It is satisfactory to note that the infant mortality is again low which is to be principally attributed to the cool summer, but I hope also in some measure to the unceasing care and attention which now has been paid for many years to housing, prevention of overcrowding and instructions in the feeding and care of infants. The following table gives the rate and average infant mortality for the last 10 years. 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 Average for 10 years 5 140.7 113.6 120.6 102.5 106.4 158.9 74.4 101.8 96.5 3 The following are the deaths from the principal zymotic diseases. SMALL POX—None. MEASLES.—Nine. SCARLET FEVER—One. WHOOPING COUGH.—Three. DIPHTHERIA AND MEMBRANOUS CROUP.—Seven. TYPHUS FEVER—None. ENTERIC FEVER—None. DIARRHCEA AND ENTERITIS.—Ten. The number of deaths from these 8 zymotic diseases has been 30 and the zymotic death rate is 1.7 per thousand which is exactly the same as last year, and..4 below the average of the last 10 years. In the last quarter of the year there was a very severe outbreak of measles causing much distress and 9 deaths, and I must again point out the necessity of keeping. the little patients warm in bed so as to avoid having complications as far as possible. The 10 deaths from diarrhoea, 4 of which occurred in September, is much too high considering the cool summer, and too much care cannot be taken in keeping feeding bottles in clean cold water when not in use, and thoroughly washing them immediately after being used; also in preventing flies from getting into the milk.