View report page

5
Social Class Group
Group I —
Group II 2
Group III 13
Group IV 24
Group V 13
Total 52
Of the 21 premature infants, 7 were first babies; 5 were illegitimate and none of the mothers had
ante-natal care; 3 were associated with toxaemia in the mother; 2 were delivered by Caesarean section; 3
were twin pregnancies (both died in one case; one twin survived in the other); and in 1 the mother had
a cerebral tumour removed during pregnancy.
Though the infant mortality rate has dropped in recent years there still remains room for improvement,
and further investigation of prematurity, congenital malformations and toxaemia of pregnancy is
urgently required. Unfortunately, overcrowding and poor housing and social conditions still exist and play
some part in maintaining the present rates. The Registrar General's statistics of' occupational mortality
show that the decline of over 60 per cent, in infant mortality since 1921 is reflected to an almost equal extent
in all classes, and that the differences between them have remained practically unchanged in the last 30 years.
Prematurity
A far greater number of premature babies survived than died, and most of them were born in
hospital (table 9).
They are higher in the wards where the poor sections of the population live (table 10).
Births
The birth rate in Willesden showed a slight increase (2.1 per cent.) over 1952; 14.87 per 1,000
as compared with 14.47 but it was still 4 per cent, below that of England and Wales (15.5).
The total number of notified births increased during the year, but there was a slight decrease in
the proportion of mothers having their babies in hospital, with a slight increase in the number of domiciliary
confinements conducted by the County midwives. The main decrease in hospital confinements was in the
Kingsbury Maternity Hospital, where the numbers were almost halved during the year. It appears that this
hospital, which was originally built for Willesden mothers, is now being used mainly by mothers in other
districts, and the stage is rapidly being reached where alternative accommodation for Willesden mothers will
have to be found elsewhere. Already, the Central Middlesex Hospital has found it impossible to take them
all, and to relieve the pressure the Paddington Hospital, on the 1st March, 1953, accepted seven applications
weekly from mothers living mainly in the South Kilburn area.
1949 1950 1951 1952 1953
Total notified live births 2798 2735 2362 2587 2642
Born in institutions 2177 2202 1977 2209 2176
Born at home 621 533 385 378 466
Percentage born in institutions 77.28 81.06 83.70 85.39 82.36

Illegitimate Births
The number of illegitimate births has decreased from 204 to 164.
Six of the illegitimate children died under the age of one year, 3 from prematurity and 2 from
gastro-enteritis.