222 SCIENCE PROGRESS 



vous system, cancer, bronchitis, pneumonia and tuberculosis. 

 The following table illustrates this : 



The point must be noted, however, that the term " organic 

 heart disease " covers many conditions which, primarily, may 

 have no connection with the heart, e.g. rheumatic fever and 

 syphilis. The infant death-rate has shown a remarkable 

 decline from 128 per 1,000 births in the decade 1901-1910 to 

 80 in 1920. On the other hand, the illegitimate infant death- 

 rate is 155 — a sad commentary on the position of the " un- 

 wanted child." 



Women are still dying in large numbers in childbed, the 

 figure for 1920 being 4,144. As many as 1,730 of these died 

 from puerperal fever — a preventable disease. Encephalitis 

 Lethargica seems to be on the increase. But, though there 

 have been sharp outbreaks of diphtheria and scarlet fever, the 

 virulence of these infections seems to be declining. 



Tuberculosis, and especially phthisis, is declining fast. 

 Figures of notifications show a steady decline since 191 2, and 

 even in 1920 there was a fall of 4,500 on 1919. The difference 

 between the figures for pulmonary tuberculosis in 1920 com- 

 pared with 191 7 shows a reduction by over one-sixth. The 

 total number notified is the lowest by far since notification 

 began. A substantial fall has also taken place in the number 

 of deaths. 



