Report of the Commission appointed to enquire into and report upon the general and infantile mortality; together with Minutes of the Sittings, Evidence of Witnesses, &c.

  • British Guiana.
Date:
1906
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Report of the Commission appointed to enquire into and report upon the general and infantile mortality; together with Minutes of the Sittings, Evidence of Witnesses, &c. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.

    25/268 (page 11)
    evident, tlierefore, wt; ea.iuiot look to eliinatic iiitliieiices for explanation of tiie high death-rates among infants of the sontliern and tropical races. 47. S()nu> improvement, 8 9 per centnm in the rates for 1 .s-So-J S!J4, is indicated by tlic figures I'egarding infants of coloured birth during the tvvo perioils. 4S. Little improvement, '2 '.\ and i'4 per centum the rates foi' IS<S,3-](Sl>4, is shown in the death-rates of infants of i^lack and of Portuguese parentage. VIM.—Tin: IvKI.A'I'lVE LXFANJ'ILK MoixTAI-ITV ()F DllFKm'NT IvAi'IiS IX (IE()K( ; KToWN. v.). The mean proportions of deaths of infants luider one year oM ]H'r thousand bii'ths for each of the nH)re im[)ortant r;ices in the city of (leorgetown and its environs for two periods of ten years cacli, b'-iSj-b'^l)4, and IXt*;) 11M)4, and for the tv.entv vears, 1885-1 iM.)4, were as follows : — Europeans other than rortuguese Chinese Coloured East Indians Portuguese hicks .(O. These records show th;it the mean death-rate among infants of iMiropean other than Portuguese birth decreased during the decadi; ISBo-HMJl in the propoi'- tion of 48-6 {)er centum on the mean death-rate for l88r)-l8U4. Jt now com[)ares very favoui'ably with tliat of (ri-eat Britain. 141 per thousand births, (hu'ing the same period. While in the (h'cade 1885-1894 the mean infantile death-i-ate for Georgetown and its environs was considei'al)ly higher than that for the colony generally, in the latter ])erioil the death-rates have })een practically similai-. 1SS5-181)4. 181)5-190+. b^85-1 1 k; 171 221 257 2:!9 28:3 2G4 27:! :J2:3 2:36 271) 286 284 285 :3G5 :34:3 :354 51. The mean infantile (k^ath-iute for the East Indians in (b^orgetoM ii and its environs has j)een nuu-h higiier during the twenty years than in the colony generally. During the decade 1885-1894 it was 77 5 per centum in excess, and during that of 1895-191)4, 47'5 per centum in excess. The mean infantile death- rate in Georgetown, for this rate has decreased in the proportion of 269 per centum foi-the decach^ 1895-1904 as compared with that for the period 1885-1 Sl!4. In our opinion this gnitifving decrease shows that the conditions of existence in (iieorgetown and its environs for the East Jndia.ns Inne been improved of late years. 52. The mean death-rates for iid'ants of the black and colouicd races in (icorgetown ami its en\ir<))is sliow less improvement during th(> periods, tlie ])roportions per t-entum being 6'0 and (r7 r(>spectively. Tdic mean infantile deatll- rate for the L*ortuguesc I'ace has remaijied almost constant. The nu>an (h'ath- rates for infants for tin thr^e races liave been highei' in. (ieorgetirwn than in the colony generally in the fo]l(>\ving I'ates per cntum on thos-:- of the latter :— 1885-1891. 1S95-1904. I31ack ... 67-4 61 0 Coloured ... 26-8 29 4 I'oi'tuguese ... 14-8 19-3 5o. We are oi' oj)inion that the exceptionally high rate of mortality recorded among the infants of l^ortuguese parentage is probably due to the fact, already ])ointed out. that the Portuguese are the only Europeans \\ ho. as a race, have a labouring class living under jioor conditions in the colony, a.nd th;U their olfspring are naturally atfected liy this to a very marked degree- We are satisfied