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16
Letter of the Local Government Board to Clerks to the Guardians, dated 29th
July, 1907." In this extract the Local Government Board pointed out to the
Boards of Guardians that under Section 2 of the Poor Law Amendment Act,
1848, it was competent for the Guardians to pay the fee of any medical man
called in on the advice of a midwive to attend upon a poor person in difficult
cases. Further, the Board suggested that medical men and certified midwives
practising in each Poor Law Union should be informed that in cases arising
under Rule 18 of the Midwives Act, 1902, entitled, "Conditions in which
medical help must be sent for," the Guardians will, on being satisfied that
the woman is too poor to afford to pay the medical fee, be prepared to pay
a reasonable remuneration to the medical man called in. "Any such payments
should be," the Local Government Board adds, "on a definite scale, which
should be suitable to the local circumstances and to the services rendered, and
which should be duly notified to the local medical practitioners." So far as I
can ascertain, the Edmonton Guardians took no action on the lines advised by
the Local Government Board.
DEATHS.
The deaths registered in the District during the year were 902. Of
these, 63 occurring in the Strand Union Workhouse and Schools, and 233
among non-residents at the Edmonton Union Workhouse, and 1 in an
Inebriates' Home, and two of vagrants, are excluded, while 79 deaths of
Edmonton residents taking place in the Edmonton Workhouse are included
in our nett deaths. Thus the number of deaths amongst Edmonton residents
registered in the District amounted to 603.
The notorious baby farmer, who in 1906 was proved to have had relations
with the deaths of six infants and received a mild sentence of imprisonment
from a merciful judge, resumed her business (soon after her release) in
a neighbouring district, but she was, before long, in prison again for an
offence under the Infant Life Protection Act.
The gross death-rate is based upon the total number of deaths
registered in the District, and is 14.50 per 1,000 living. This rate is calculated
on the estimated gross population of 62,186.
An arrangement exists with the County Medical Officer of Health and
with Somerset House and with the District Registrars of Tottenham and
Enfield, whereby the deaths of all residents of Edmonton outside the district
are returned to me for inclusion in our statistics. The greater accuracy
arrived at by this arrangements accounts partly, I believe, for the large increase
of late years of the figures in Column 11, Table I. 129 deaths were
returned in these ways during the year, making the nett total of deaths at all
ages for the district proper 732.