From data obtained by means of a questionnaire from Prague neonatologists from seven maternity hospitals and four intensiv care units in Prague in 1980-1984 a detailed analysis was made of the specific morbidity and mortality of neonates during the first seven days after birth in a large neonatal population, incl. causes of morbidity and mortality. The analysis was focused on the morbidity of those nosological non-inflammatory and inflammatory units which threaten the life of neonates, which cause morbidity and where mortality is the extreme pole. Data and causes were compared with analogous data from countries with the highest standard of neonatal care--Sweden and Finland. The authors outline the procedure used for analysis of the necessary data in order to differentiate inevitable and evitable risks which damage the foetus and neonate and they analyzed the causes of different data from obstetric practice focused on prevention of hypoxia, immaturity, lethal congenital defects and factors from differentiated neonatalogical care.