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
Kensington 1909
Annual report of the Medical Officer of Health 1909
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4
Births.—The number of births registered in the district was 3,187, but this figure does not
include 194 infants born of Kensington mothers in Queen Charlotte's Lying-in Hospital and other
institutions beyond the Borough. The total number of births belonging to the Borough was,
therefore, 3,381. The birth-rate expressed as the number of births per 1,000 of the population was
18*6. Arranged as to sex and legitimacy the births were as follows:—
Male. Female. Total.
Legitimate 1,646 1,552 3,198
Illegitimate 86 97 183
Total 1,732 1,649 3,381
The following table shows the number of births and the birth-rate in North and South Kensington and in the several wards, after distribution of the births at the Borough Infirmary and Queen Charlotte's Hospital:—
| Total Births. | Birth-rate per 1,000 of the Population. | |
|---|---|---|
| North Kensington | 2,460 | 26.3 |
| South Kensington | 921 | 10.5 |
| St. Charles | 649 | 28.8 |
| Golborne | 869 | 32.1 |
| Norland | 594 | 24.6 |
| Pembridge | 348 | 17.5 |
| Holland | 258 | 12.3 |
| Earl's Court | 223 | 12.0 |
| Queen's Gate | 94 | 6.4 |
| Redcliffe | 228 | 11.9 |
| Brompton | 118 | 8.1 |
| The Borough | 3,381 | 18.6 |
The effects of social status on the birth-rate are illustrated by the fact that the rate for South
Kensington is less than half the rate for North Kensington, whilst the birth-rate for Golborne Ward
in the North is more than five times as great as the rate for the Ward of Queen's Gate in the
South. To a certain extent this wide discrepancy is no doubt due to differences in the numbers of
married women in the districts compared.
In the following table the proportion of total births to the whole population is compared with the proportion of legitimate births to married females of conceptive age in Kensington and London respectively:—
| Period | Birth-rate per 1,000 living. | Legitimate Births per 100 Married Women aged 15—45 years. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London. | Kensington. | London. | Kensington. | |
| 1890-2 | 31.1 | 22.9 | 25.0 | 21.4 |
| 1900-2 | 28.7 | 20.8 | 22.7 | 19.3 |
| 1908 | 25.2 | 19.2 | 19.8 | 17.6 |