London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Battersea 1905
Report on the health of the Metropolitan Borough of Battersea for the year 1905
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Birth-rate per 1,000 Population.
| Year. | The Borough | East Battersea. | North-West Battersea. | South-West Battersea. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1895 | 32.3 | 34.3 | 37.9 | 22.2 |
| 1896 | 32.4 | 34.8 | 37.8 | 22.2 |
| 1897 | 31.7 | 33.8 | 36.6 | 22.7 |
| 1898 | 30.9 | 33.6 | 35.0 | 21.9 |
| 1899 | 30.9 | 33.6 | 36.0 | 21.0 |
| 1900 | 30.6 | 33.5 | 35.2 | 21.3 |
| 1901 | 29.7 | 32.6 | 33.3 | 21.3 |
| 1902 | 28.2 | 30.3 | 33.1 | 20.2 |
| 1903 | 28.6 | 31.3 | 34.1 | 19.4 |
| 1904 | 27.5 | 30.4 | 31.9 | 19.5 |
| Average 1895-1904 | 30.2 | 32.8 | 35.0 | 21.1 |
| 1905 | 27.3 | 30.5 | 32.7 | 17.7 |
The above table shows a marked decline in the birth-rate
during the last eleven years in each of the three sub-districts,
although the rates in East and North-West Battersea were
slightly higher in 1905 than in the previous year. And it is
noteworthy that the decline has been as great in South-West
Battersea as in the two districts with a relatively high birthrate,
indicating that the decline in our birth-rate is progressive.
This is a most important consideration. The significance of
the decline in the British birth-rate lies not so much in the fact
that we have already reached a low birth-rate, but that there is
every reason to believe that in a comparatively short time we