Report of the Medical Officer of Health / Municipality of Colombo.

  • Colombo (Sri Lanka). Public Health Department.
Date:
[1930]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the Medical Officer of Health / Municipality of Colombo. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    15/124 (page 11)
    VI.—Infant Mortality. There were 1,G46 deaths, as against 1,738 in the previous year, representing an infant mortality rate of 179, the lowest rate so far recorded. When corrected for non-residents the rate is 186, but even this shows an improvement over previous years (vide Statement 5). The principal causes of deaths were atrophy and debility, premature birth, and diarrhoeal diseases (vide Statement 6). The mortality rates for all these diseases were however less than the corresponding figures for the previous year. But for the floods in May the infant mortality rate would have been still lower (vide Diagram 1). (5) Births and Infantile Deaths and the Infant Mortality Rates for Colombo Town, 1921 to 19SO. (7) Infant Mortality Infant Mortality Year. No. of Births. Infant-,'Deaths. Rate Per b000 Rate corrected for Births. Non-residents. 1921 ... 8,724 2,098 240 _ 1922 ... 6,881 1,702 247 — 1923 ... 7,107 1,929 271 — 1924 ... 6,887 1,643 239 — 1925 ... 7,663 1,689 220 — 1926 ... 8,114 1,658 204 • • • - 1927 ... 8,491 1,584 187 196 1928 ... 9,486 1,714 * ... 181 189 1929 ... 8,659 1,738 201 208 1930 ... 9,181 1,646 179 186 (6) Principal Causes of Infant Mortality in 1930. Expressed as a percentage of Total Infant Deaths. Cause of Death No. of Deaths Percentage. Atrophy and Debility 527 • • • 32‘0 Permature Birth 254 • • • 15’4 Diarrhoeal Diseases 218 • • • 13*2 Pneumonia ... 171 • • • 10'4 Convulsions ... 168 ... 10*2 Infant Mortality by Race, 1930—Number of Infant Deaths and Rate per 1,000 Births. Increase No. of Rate per Rate per i non Ri rfli c or Decrease of Race. Infant Deaths, 1,0U0 Births, i,uuo -Diruis, U WATT1 Alio 1930 Rate when 1930. 1930. jrrevious Year * compared with 1929 Rate. All Races 1,646 179 201 — 22 Europeans 2 22 24 — 2 Burghers 63 105 136 — 31 Sinhalese 902 167 190 — 23 Tamils 284 221 253 — 32 Moors 288 221 241 — 20 Malays 71 222 182 + 40 Others 36 187 222 ... — 35 (8) Infant Mortality, 19SO, by Ward. Average, 1925 to 1929. 1930. Increase or Decrease of 1930 Rate when Colombo Town 1929. 199 201 179 compared with that of 1929. — 22 Fort — — — — Pettah 204 45 391 + 346 San Sebastian 248 222 245 + 23 St. Paul’s 280 278 257 — 21 Kotahena 243 230 203 — 27 Mutwal 242 266 212 — 54 New Bazaar 263 265 220 — 45 Maradana North 252 286 234 — 52 (9) Infant Mortality by Race, during Cause All Races, Europeans. Burghers All Causes • • • 179 . . 22 ... 105 Premature Birth • • • 28 . . — ... 10 Atrophy and Debility7 57 . . — ... 22 Bronchitis • • • 5 . . — 3 Pneumonia • • • 19 . . — ... 14 Diarrhoeal Diseases ... 24 . . — ... 30 Convulsions • • • 18 . . — 7 Tetanus • • • 1 . . — ... — All other causes • • • 27 . . 22 ... 19 Wards—Rate per 1,000 Births. Increase or Decrease of Average, 1930 Rate Ward. 1925 to 1929. 1930. when 1929. compared with that of 1929. Maradana South 231 200 204 + 4 Dematagoda 229 259 224 — 35 Slave Island 215 194 208 + 14 Kollupitiya 169 122 133 + 11 Cinnamon Gardens 176 145 185 + 40 Bambalapitiya 143 209 135 — 74 Timbirigasyaya 191 223 165 — 58 Wellawatta 153 137 133 — 4 Hospitals 136 146 133 — 13 the Year 1930—Rate per 1,000 Births. Sinhalese. Tamils. Moors. Malays. Others. .. 167 ... 221 221 ... 222 ... 187 .. 36 27 12 ... 3 ... 11 .. 44 ... 85 103 ... 66 ... 62 4 ... 8 7 ... 16 ... 5 .. 21 ... 19 8 ... 31 ... 21 26 ... 16 23 25 ... 16 .. 14 ... 26 23 31 ... 31 2 ... 3 0*8 ... — ... .. 20 ... 37 44 ... 50 ... 41