The decline of infant mortality, 1871-1911: a medical conundrum ; the case of Nuneaton (Warwickshire) in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

This study forms part of a larger research project investigating the causes for the decline in infant mortality in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in localised areas of England. The work of this study looks at Nuneaton in Warwickshire, a small town greatly dependent upon the ribbon weaving industry in the early nineteenth century, the decline of which affected the development of an improved standard of living in the town. The later growth of the East Warwickshire coal field, and other industries, resulted in the rapid expansion of the town in the last years of the century. Data gathered from the Vaccination Registers and the Return of Infant Deaths enabled an investigation to be made into the families experiencing multiple infant deaths during the period 1881 to 1891. Details from local studies, Board of Health Minutes and two major reports to the Board allowed the effects of the families’ environment to be taken into consideration when assessing the causes of the infant mortality in the Nuneaton Union. These findings were related to the views of the Medical Officer of Health who considered the parents to be responsible for the infant deaths. This study showed that while no one factor could be seen to have caused the decline in infant mortality, improvements in water supplies, sewage disposal, and a gradual improvement in the standard of housing combined with a decrease in fertility were the major factors in the decline in infant mortality in Nuneaton at this period