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
Hampstead 1934
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hampstead Borough]
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33
Of the total nett live births registered only 33 per cent, occurred
at the usual place of residence of the mother.
Information has been recorded, wherever possible, of the housing conditions of families in which a birth occurred at home. The following table shows an analysis of 213 instances where these births were visited, and where the information was obtainable :—
| No. of persons in family. | No. of families occupying the following number of rooms. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 room. | 2 rooms. | 3 rooms. | 4 rooms. | 5 rooms. | 6 rooms. | 7 rooms. | 8 rooms. | |
| l | l | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2 | 2 | 24 | 24 | 8 | l | — | — | _ |
| 3 | 5 | 20 | 29 | 8 | l | 2 | — | l |
| 4 | — | 25 | 17 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | l |
| 5 | — | 3 | 12 | 3 | — | — | — | — |
| 6 | — | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — |
| 7 | — | — | 5 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — |
| 8 | — | — | 1 | 3 | — | — | — | — |
| Totals | 8 | 74 | 92 | 28 | 6 | 3 | — | 2 |
The newly.born baby has not been included in the above.
Of these 213 births :—
3 8 per cent, occurred in 1.roomed tenements.
34.7 „ „ 2
43.2 „ „ 3
The table shows the limited housing conditions in some of the
tenements where babies are born at home. It demonstrates that of
these 213 babies, 8 were born in one.roomed tenements and 74 in two.
roomed tenements. In 5 one.roomed tenements where 3 persons were
already living a baby was born. With regard to two.roomed homes,
in 3 instances 5 persons were already inhabiting the rooms prior to
the birth of the baby, and in 2 cases the baby's advent raised the
number of occupants to 7. In 5 three.roomed tenements there were
7 persons occupying the rooms before the birth, and in 1 case there
were 8.