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
St Pancras 1931
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Pancras, Metropolitan Borough]
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| Ward. | 1931. | 1930. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Births. | Birth Rate. | Births. | Birth Rate. | |||
No less than 2,734 births occurred in Public Institutions in St. Pancras, equal to
61 per cent, of the total births which took place in the Borough.
Table 4, on page 103, shows for 1931 the birth rate of England and Wales, the County
of London, the Metropolitan Boroughs, and certain of the large towns having populations
exceeding 125,000.
Illegitimacy.
Of the 2,955 net St. Pancras births, 245 were recorded as being illegitimate. This
equals 8.3 per cent, of the total births registered.
| Year. | Rate. | Year. | Rate. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
In the years before the great War the illegitimate births in the Borough were from 4
to 5 per cent, of the total births registered. During the war years the rate increased to about
9 per cent., and although a decrease then occurred, a steady increase in the number of illegitimate
births has taken place during the past 6 or 7 years. To what extent this is due to an
alteration of traditional standards, and to what extent it is caused by overcrowding it is
difficult to state, but probably both factors are concerned.
Notification of Births.
The long delay which might and frequently did occur before a birth was registered was
found to diminish the value of the work carried out at the Welfare Centres. At times the