A total of 56,740 liveborn children, obtained in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, through home visitations, was analysed to verify whether there was any association between deaths by umbilical tetanus (UT) and parental consanguinity. The main conclusions of this investigation may be summarized as follows: (1) there seems to be no relationship between inbreeding and mortality by UT; (2) mortality by UT is more prevalent in the offspring of Mulattoes and Negroes, who present the lowest average socio-economic level (SEL) of the population; (3) the association of mortality by UT with race is probably a mere consequence of its association with SEL.