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20
poisons, weakly, stunted—both mentally and physically.
These help to swell the ranks of the C3 population, which the
medical inspection of vast numbers of men called up for
military service during 1917 has shown to be such an alarming
feature of the physique of the nation.
The death-rate amongst illegitimate children under one
year of age during 1920 was 175 per 1,000 births. 1 his is
more than double the mortality rate of legitimate infants,
which was 79.4.
Notification of Births Act.
The Notification of Births Act, 1907, was adopted
throughout the Borough, and came into force early in 1908.
During 1920 the number of notifications of births received
was 4,259. The (corrected) number of births registered in
Battersea was 4,669. The proportion of notified to registered
births was, therefore, 912 per cent., compared with 95.2 in
1919 and 85.8 in 1918.
There were 660 or 15.5 per cent. of the notifications made
by medical practitioners, 2,223 or 52.2 per cent. by midwives,
and 1,376 (32.3 per cent.) by other persons.
Ninety-one still-births were notified during the year.
Maternity & Child Welfare.
The further development of the Maternity and Child
Welfare Scheme continued to occupy the attention of the
Council during 1920. The appointment of the Special
Maternity and Child Welfare Committee, in November of 1919,
did much to advance the progress of this most useful and farreaching
feature of the Council's public health activities, and
during the year the scheme included the following activities:—
Maternity and Child Welfare Centres:—
1. Municipal:—
(a) Latchmere Baths.
(b) Battersea Tabernacle.
(c) Plough Road Baths.
(d) Dental Clinic (Plough Road Baths).
2. Voluntary:—
(e) Battersea School for Mothers (55 Mundella
Road).
(f) Women's League of Service (111 Bridge
Road West).