266 



Mr Punnett, 



(2) Infant mortality in general. 



The infant mortality in poorer districts is greater than that 

 obtaining in wealthier. To gain some idea of the difference found 

 on this head among the three groups, A, B, and G, the number of 

 infants under 1 year has been in each case compared with those 

 of between 1 and 2 years. The difference in each case, expressed 

 in percentage of the total, will give the mortality in each group 

 of infants between the average ages of 6 and 18 months. 



From this table it appears that the mortality during early 

 infant life is very much higher in the poorer districts than in the 

 better off ones. Should this higher mortality be more effective 

 among £ infants, and it seems reasonable to suppose that this 

 might well be so, it will tend to reduce the relative proportion 

 of <?s as compared with $s in groups A and B, whilst on the 

 other hand the low mortality in group G will probably tend to 

 raise the proportion of </s. Hence in Table I, where the 

 effect of a different death-rate in the different groups has not 

 been taken into account, the proportion of </s in groups A and B 

 should probably be slightly raised compared with G. This, of 

 course, is assuming that the higher death-rate affects the £ 

 infants disproportionately as compared with the % s. It may be 

 that the effect of such an increased death-rate would be pro- 

 portional in the two sexes, in which case the figures on p. 264 

 would shew no alteration 2 . More, however, cannot be said until 

 the influence of a fluctuating death-rate on the relative pro- 

 portions of the sexes has been studied. 



1 The average mortality worked out from Tatham's Table amounts to a little 

 under 10 °/ (for the same ages). 



2 It is greatly to be regretted that the Eegistrar-General cannot see his way 

 to distinguishing between <? and ? births in the various returns. 



