Tuam mother and baby home: the trouble with the septic tank story

[struggle4progress]

135. The figures given in the news report for 1932 -- 135 children and 24 mothers --

do not imply all 135 children present were born in 1931 or 1932: as I have stated before, children not otherwise placed typically remained in the home 5.5 - 7 years, depending on gender. So if mothers stay about a year, one expects something like 6 times as many children as mothers in the home, and the numbers here appear to confirm that expectation, since 6 x 24 = 144 is not far from 135.

Nor does one need to estimate the deaths that year, as one has records: there were 24 deaths of children, including 15 of which were due to a measles outbreak from January to March; at least two of the measles deaths were children over a year old; one measles fatality was 2.5 years old. One of the children, who died from causes other than measles, had a chronic throat ulceration which had lasted rather over a year: she is listed as 9.5 years old. If her age is correctly reported, then her presence in the home beyond the typical age at which one would have expected other arrangements (such as fostering out) may simply indicate the child was too sick to relocate

Here are the actual data:

Measles:
Doorhy Margaret 25/01/1932 8 months
McDonagh Mary 02/02/1932 1 year
Leonard Patrick 06/02/1932 9 months
Coyne Mary 07/02/1932 1 year
Walsh Mary Kate 09/02/1932 2 years
Burke Christina 11/02/1932 1 year
Jordan Mary Margaret 14/02/1932 1 1/2 years
Sullivan Annie 15/02/1932 8 months
McCann John Joseph 16/02/1932 8 months
Niland Margaret 26/02/1932 2 1/2 years
O'Boyle Joseph 13/03/1932 2 months
Galvin Bridget 14/03/1932 3 months

Tuberculosis:
McMullan Teresa 17/02/1932 1 year
Nash Peter 13/03/1932 1 year
Fitzmaurice Kate 23/06/1932 4 months
Madden Angela 01/08/1932 3 months

"Debility from birth"
Quinn Christina 22/03/1932 3 months
Birmingham Mary 09/05/1932 9 months

Convulsions
Mulkerrins unnamed 07/07/1932 5 days

Heart disease:
Hill Laurence 10/06/1932 11 months

Marasmus
Judge Patricia 07/05/1932 1 year

Suppurative rhinitis
Pender Brendan Patrick 18/06/1932 1 month

Syphilis:
Gavin George 26/02/1932 1 year

Ulceration of larynx:
Cloran Kathleen 27/03/1932 9 1/2 years