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 1920

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]

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Table: Table showing the number of births and the birth rates in England and Wales, London, Kensington and the various districts in the Borough in 1920 and the rates for the previous five years:—

Table showing the number of births and the birth rates in England and Wales, London, Kensington and the various districts in the Borough in 1920 and the rates for the previous five years:—

District.1920.Birth rates in previous years.
No. of Births.Birth-rate.1919.1918.1917.1916.1915.
England and Wales957,99425.418.517.717.821.622.0
London123,04326.518.216.017.923.022.6
The Borough4,02024.316.113.314.818.318.0
North Kensington2,77832.821.717.818.524.724.8
South Kensington1,07013.210.38.69.410.710.8
St. Charles71532.721.917.818.826.024.7
Golborne93738.226.620.621.128.829.3
Norland71435.121.918.419.225.426.9
Pembridge41223.114.413.614.016.716.5
Holland27113.98.87.79.811.810.7
Earl's Court25415.013.713.011.912.912.9
Queen's Gate1178.58.15.96.46.58.5
Redcliffe26714.611.88.710.511.811.4
Brompton16112.98.16.57.28.89.7
Ward unknown172..................

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The effects of social status on the birth rate are illustrated by the fact that the rate for South
Kensington usually is less than half the rate for North Kensington, whilst in 1920 the birth rate
for Golborne Ward in the North was more than four times as great as the rate for the Ward of
Queen's Gate in the South. To a certain extent, however, this wide discrepancy is due to
differences in the numbers of married women of child-bearing age in the districts compared.
For many years past the steadily decreasing birth rate throughout the country has given rise
to great anxiety. During the last two years of the War the birth rate for Kensington was
actuallv lower than the death rate.

Table: The birth rates in Kensington since 1881 are shown in the following table:—

The birth rates in Kensington since 1881 are shown in the following table:—

Period.Annual birth-rate per 1,000 population.
1881-188526.1
1886-189023.5
1891-189522.0
1896-190021.6
1901-191020.0
191118.7
191219.3
191319.4
191418.4
191518.0
191618.3
191714.8
191813.3
191916.1
192024.3

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It was expected that there would be a marked increase following the termination of the War
and sufficient time has now elapsed to enable this to be measured. This increase reached its
highest point in March, 1920, and during the first quarter of 1920 the birth-rate was
astonishingly high. There were in England and Wales, 126,162 more births than in the first
quarter of 1919. It was the highest number recorded in any quarter since the establishment of
civil registration.
The natural increase in population (excess of births over deaths) in Kensington in the first
three months of 1920 was four times greater than that which occurred in the whole of the
preceding year.
It was not thought probable that such a high rate would continue; indeed there has been
a steady fall in the rate since the first quarter of the year under review and it has now resumed
its pre-War level.
Notification of Births Act, 1907.—Parents are allowed a period of six weeks within
which to register the birth of a child, but the fulfilment of this duty is so frequently postponed
until the last few days of this period that the records of the Registrars of Births do not enable
Public Health authorities to gain that early knowledge of the birth of children in their districts
which is so essential to the success of the work of Health Visitors. This disadvantage arising from
delay in birth registration has been met by the Notification of Births Act, which requires all live