The estimation of mortality at the London Foundling Hospital, 1741–99

Abstract

The high mortality of foundlings across Europe has long been established by historical demographers but methods of quantification have not permitted comparison with rates in the populations beyond the foundling hospitals. This study investigates mortality rates at the London Foundling Hospital in the eighteenth century in a way that addresses the issue. The study finds that although foundling mortality was extremely high at certain periods in the hospital's history, there is evidence for a decline towards the end of the century, in common with national and local rates. This suggests that the causes of the mortality fall were common even to infants born in disadvantaged circumstances, and brought up away from their mothers. Several possible reasons for the fall in mortality are considered, including improved nutrition among mothers, a shift in the disease environment, and changes in such habits as gin drinking.