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
Battersea 1902
Report on the health of the Metropolitan Borough of Battersea for the year 1903
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Birth-rate per 1,000 Population.
| Year. | England and Wales. | London. | Battersea |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1875 | 35.4 | 35.4 | 40.3 |
| 1876 | 36.3 | 35.9 | 42.2 |
| 1877 | 36.0 | 35.6 | 39.9 |
| 1878 | 35.6 | 35.5 | 40.5 |
| 1879 | 34.7 | 35.5 | 40.8 |
| 1880 | 34.2 | 35.3 | 39.6 |
| 1881 | 33.9 | 34.7 | 41.8 |
| 1882 | 33.8 | 34.5 | 39.9 |
| 1883 | 33.5 | 34.5 | 40.2 |
| 1884 | 33.6 | 34.3 | 43.4 |
| 1885 | 32.9 | 33.4 | 37.0 |
| 1886 | 32.8 | 33.4 | 39.5 |
| 1887 | 31.9 | 32.9 | 38.6 |
| 1888 | 31.2 | 32.1 | 36.5 |
| 1889 | 31.1 | 31.9 | 36.1 |
| 1890 | 30.2 | 30.7 | 34.6 |
| 1891 | 31.4 | 31.8 | 34.7 |
| 1892 | 30.4 | 30.9 | 32.4 |
| 1893 | 30.7 | 31.0 | 33.3 |
| 1894 | 29.6 | 30.1 | 31.4 |
| 1895 | 30.3 | 30.6 | 32.3 |
| 1896 | 29.6 | 30.2 | 32.4 |
| 1897 | 29.6 | 30.1 | 31.7 |
| 1898 | 29.3 | 29.7 | 30.9 |
| 1899 | 29.1 | 29.7 | 30.9 |
| 1900 | 28.7 | 29.1 | 30.6 |
| 1901 | 28.5 | 29.0 | 29.7 |
| 1902 | 28.6 | 28.5 | 28.2 |
| 1903 | 28.4 | 28.4 | 28.6 |
It will be seen that the English birth-rate has fallen very
considerably during the last thirty years, and that the rate in
1903 was the lowest on record. Probably several causes have
contributed to bring about this result, but there is no doubt
that the chief causes are psychological, and that there is a
growing tendency to consciously limit the size of the family.
But it is also probable that there have been physiological
factors at work. There are reasons for thinking that
there has been some impairment of the function of
maternity in the modern Englishwoman. But whatever the