|
|
"Who you are, where you stay or what you know?" Factors Influencing Infant and Child Mortality in Late Nineteenth Century Scotland
| It is undisputed that there were large differences in infant mortality between different social classes in Victorian Britain. The reasons behind these differences are, however, still not well understood; the relative roles of factors such as access to better nutrition, better sanitation, greater health related knowledge, lower overcrowding and fewer neighbourhood hazards remain to be explored. This paper will use information drawn from the information gleaned from the linked census and civil register records for two Scottish communities, one urban and one rural, over the period 1861-1901 to consider how different aspects of life associated with social class acted and interacted to hinder the survival chances of infants and young children born to parents in the lowest social strata. Data provided by the sources allow cause of death to indicate the medical conditions and disease hazards killing the children and also permit the role of parental literacy and living conditions to be examined.
|
|
|
|
