Was 'inanition' a common cause of child mortality in the 1900-1914 period?

[kob3203]

We've found two sisters, one born 1902, the other born 1907, who died of 'inanition' (exhaustion due to lack of nourishment - http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=778058.0) within an hour of birth.

I assume this would have been a common cause of infant mortality in the mid-1800s, but I wouldn'thave thought it was common at the start of the 20th century.

Does anybody have any insight into this ?

(The girls in question were 2of 11 children born to a labourer's wife in Flemingstown/Mitchelstown area)

[mirl]

http://www.antiquusmorbus.com/english/englishi.htm

This site has definitions of old medical terms, this is the "I" page so scroll down to inanition.

Inanition is death from starvation, this definition includes those deaths causes by a disorder of the digestive apparatus.

I think this would mean that the babies had birth defects that prevented them from being able to feed either properly or at all.

[kob3203]

I was imagining the mother being malnourished, and the two girls being born so weak that they were unable to feed (hence the reference to expecting it to be more common in the mid-1800s with the famine). So a disorder of the digestive system is an alternative theory - but would that be likely to cause death within an hour of birth ?

[Sinann]

There is a thread about this here on RootsChat
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=415266.0

Reply #4 seems to explain it well, I haven't read the whole thread.

[kob3203]

Thanks Sinann, Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) seems a very probable explanation.

[LaurieKay]

I recently found a death certificate from 1900 for a death from inanition that gave as a contributing factor congenital syphillis. Apparently there is a pattern that can be detected for the presence of syphillis in a family: if a significant number of children are born but those in the middle of the birth sequence all are either stillborn or die very young. Early children in the sequence may not have been exposed or may have developed lesser symptoms, those late in the sequence are born after the infection in the mother becomes less virulent; they still will have syphillis but probably will survive childhood. Apparently problems with organs such as the liver and spleen (which become enlarged), skin lesions around the mouth with resulting scarring, and poor development of the hard palate and/or jaws in infected babies, which may mean that they are unable to take in sufficient nutrition because of pain or crowding of the internal organs.