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19111
28
in other places, the information about which was forwarded to the Medical
Officer of Health by the Registrar-General.
By the Islington Registrar's returns 7,729
„ Finsbury Registrar 244
7,973
Transferred from other places by Registrar-General 140
8,113
The inclusion of infants, born outside the borough, in the returns is a new and
a very proper departure, and was introduced by the Registrar-General to enable
the local authority to reach the mothers, when they returned to their homes with
their newly-born children, and to instruct them as to their care and feeding. Such
information will be much appreciated where the Sanitary Authorities fulfil their
obligations towards these babes. In Islington the information is of course of
far less value than in other places, for the Council provide no health visitors.
The birth-rate, which these 8,113 births represent, was 24.79 per 1,000 of
the estimated population of the borough.
Notwithstanding the inclusion of the infants born outside the borough, the
birth-rate was the lowest hitherto recorded, while the actual number of births
has not been so low since 1872, when 8,048 were registered, although meanwhile
the population has grown from 221,345 to 327,247 persons, or an increase of
105,902.
When we compare the past birth-rates with the present, and note that in
the decade 1841-50 the rate averaged 28.65 per 1,000 of the population, the
significance of the decrease may not be very apparent, but when we translate
birth-rates into births, and say that a rate of 28.65 in 1911 means that
9,375 children would have been born, if this had been the birth-rate, instead of
8,113 or 1,262 less, it becomes very apparent. In the same way the birth-rates
in the several decades would represent a very much greater number of births
than were actually registered.
If the birth-rate had been the same as in 1851-60 the births in 1911 would have numbered 11,303
,, „ ,, 1861.70 „ „ „ 12,172
„ „ „ 1871.80 „ „ „ 11,978
„ „ „ 1881.90 „ ,, „ 10,632
,, „ „ 1891.00 „ „ ,, 9,592
„ ,, ,, 1901.10 „ ,, ,, 8,626