Abstract
The health of mothers and infants, particularly in Malay States during the region’s colonization, has not been extensively studied by historians. This study thus aims to analyze the pattern and causes of maternal and infantile mortality rates in Selangor during the colonial era from 1900 to 1940. This period covers the mass arrival of Chinese and Indian immigrants in Selangor. The study examined the three main ethnic populations in Selangor: Malays, Chinese, and Indians. The data used were obtained from an analysis of primary sources, especially from the health records of the Selangor Health Department in the national archives of Malaysia. The study found that the rate of increase in maternal and infantile mortality in Selangor during that period was caused by various factors, including the unplanned system of urbanization that led to population congestion, the lack of basic health facilities, poverty, the lack of knowledge about health care, diets followed during and after pregnancy and, finally, cultural practices inhibiting certain ethnicities from receiving modern treatment from maternity hospitals.
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