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The birth rates for London and for England and Wales were
13 2 and 148 respectively. The infant death rates were 67 and 59
Legitimate and Illegitimate Births.
Of the total 940 nett live births belonging to Hampstead, 855 were
those of legitimate and 85 of illegitimate children, the latter being at
the rate of 90 per 1,000 births. Of the Hampstead illegitimate infants,
37 were born outside the Borough, chiefly in Lying-in Institutions.
In the accompanying graph showing the Legitimate and Illegitimate
Birth Rates during the last 14 years, it will be seen :—
1. The Legitimate Birth Rate has fallen continuously and con-
siderably.
2. The Illegitimate Birth Rate has remained stationary.
It would appear, therefore, that certain factors are in operation
which, whilst tending towards a reduction in the number of legitimate
births, leave untouched the number of illegitimate births.
It is generally acknowledged that there is an increasing application
of contraceptive methods and an increasing incidence of interference
resulting in abortion. It may be that these factors are more
accessible to the married than the unmarried, particularly in Hampstead,
where no less than 71 per cent. of the illegitimate births occur
among domestic servants. Nevertheless the increased application of
these factors will also have resulted in some decrease in the number
of illegitimate births as compared with those of 20 years ago.
The accompanying table shows that, so far as Hampstead is
concerned at any rate, there has been no marked alteration in the age