London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Islington 1914
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Islington, Metropolitan Borough of]
This page requires JavaScript
13
[1914
The Notification of Births.— 7,121 Notifications were received, and
represent 87.1 per cent. of the total number of births registered. This shows
a decrease of 124 on the return for 1913. It is to be regretted that in 1,056
instances there was a failure to comply with the Notification of Births Act,
1907, which represent 12.9 per cent of the registered births; there is, however,
a slight decrease in the percentage of failures when contrasted with the previous
year, when it was equal to 13.3 per cent.
In the preceding years the figures were as follows:—
| Births. | Notifications. | Failures to notify. | Per cent. notified. | Per cent, of Failures to notify. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1908 (From July 16th | 3,967 | 3,211 | 756 | 80.9 | 19.1 |
| 1909 | 8,198 | 6,983 | 1,215 | 85.2 | 14.8 |
| 1910 | 8,201 | 7,407 | 794 | 90.3 | 9.7 |
| 1911 | 8,113 | 7,232 | 881 | 89.1 | 10.9 |
| 1912 | 8,211 | 7,238 | 973 | 88.1 | 11.9 |
| 1913 | 8,359 | 7,245 | 1,114 | 86.7 | 13.3 |
| I914 | 8,177 | 7,121 | 1,056 | 87.1 | 12.9 |
Here it is seen that whilst the failures to notify has gradually increased
during the previous four years from 9 7 per cent. in 1910 to 13.3 in 1913, last
year it dropped to 12.9 per cent.
Of the 7,121 notifications,
1,038 were forwarded by medical practitioners.
3,433 were forwarded by midwives.
2,650 were forwarded by parents and others.
847 failures to notify to the Medical Officer of Health have been investigated,
and it has been ascertained that:
In 645 instances the mother was attended by a doctor.
In 77 instances the mother was attended by a midwife.
In 9 instances the mother was attended by persons other than a doctor
or midwife.
In 116 instances no information could be obtained for the reasons which
follow:—
Information refused.
Wrong address on certificates.
Futile calls.
Removal from the house since birth of child.
Death of child before registration.