CHILD MORTALITY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1039, 31 January 1911, Page 2

CHILD MORTALITY.

'SOJIE INTERESTING STATISTICS.

- Ih cbnnection with the cablegram published , in'.':yesterday's ''issue'----of--. The Dominion, to the effect that,[he, deat!i ? ;-.-. rate among English and -Welsh children ; during 1910 was. 106 per thousand, establishing a record, the following statement by Dr. .Arthur "Newsholme, the Medical Officer- to the Local Government .Beard, - in a special report "on "Infant andChild Mortality,-''., will be .'of . interest. He says ■ that 1 there has • been a widespread .awakening to the tional, importance qf-child mortality, aid ".' a concentration of efforts' to- diminish-',v it such as has never previously occurred. " More work has been done, by the Local Board and. by sanitary authorities to mitigate the evil during tha ' • past- four years than at any previous period.. ' - [ Dr. Newsholme' says there-had been little or no continuous-fall,, in .the rate ' of infant- mortality up to the yeir 1899. s Since that year a considerable fall has . occurnd, which, as Dr. Stevenson shows, 'is "common to the experience of most - European countries during the -'same period." : The rate of infant mortality for a series of years in England and Wales and in certain other countries-is shown in tha following table taken from the RegistrarGeneral's report . ■ il l Tears. ' a-a |• g o «?"11 -. 6, - ft is &N 1881-85 ......... 159 167 . 207 99 124 '93 "' 1866-90 .145 166 2C-8 56 'US'. 84 1691-95 151 171 2C5 98 111 '87 1636-1900 166 159 201 96 113 80 1901-05, 158 159 190 81 97 75 19C6 • 132 143. -. 177; 69 .75 . 62 1907 ......... 118 - 168 67 89 89 1908 '. 120 - 175 - 75 68 1909 109 - - ./It is doiibtful if 'the infant death ratest ■in these different countries' are strictly •' comparabW; o*ivipg to differences in tha 'registration of births ..and-deaths. . . ;■ -.In .this' connection' -a comparison be-' •tveen. the' three parts of the United Kingdom 'is interesting. Ireland, the .. poorest country of the three, has always "• occupied the most favourable pdsition. England and Wales, which until recently has .suffered from a- much higher infant. .. , mortality than Scotland, has now proximated towards the position o£ tha latter country. \ ■ The improvement in the three countries, comparing the ssvsn years 1902-S with the.seven j'ears 1595-1901, is as follows:— \ '■ . ; Per-' ■ .centMean age ' - infant ■ deCountry. mortality, crcase. 1895- 1902- Per 1901. 1808. cent.. England ind-Wales 156 130 1G.7 Scotland 130 116 10.8 Ireland 10-5- 96- 5.6