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14
(a) Age at Registration.—In a general way it may be said that
most births in the Borough are registered between the 4th and 7th
weeks. In those four weeks 1,42!) (or 76 per cent.) out of the 1,859
cases of which we have records, were registered. Further, it should
be added that though some 170 births visited were set down as
aged one, two, or three weeks, this was not the actual age of birth
registration but the age of death, those being infants who had
succumbed before their births were registered.
(b) Condition of the home.—Out of the 1,859 births under consideration
1,359 were born in homes of two rooms or less. Taking,
however, the total of all the homes, it was found that only 6 per
cent, could be described as distinctly unclean and badly kept, and
in as many as 68 per cent. of the total it could be said that the
home was clean and well kept. That seems to me to be a
satisfactory feature, and one which might not have been expected.
(c) Occupation of Mother during Pregnancy. —Another somewhat
remarkable feature is that in 1207 cases or 64.9 per cent. of the
total, the mother had no occupation except her home affairs; in
233 instances the mother had some home work of an industrial
character; in 276 other cases the mother went out from time to time
during her pregnancy to do work, such as charing or cleaning,
and in a few cases factory work ; and only in 143 cases (or 7.6 per
cent.) was the mother away from her home all day during the time
she was pregnant. In some districts, particularly in the large
manufacturing towns of the North of England, the occupation of
the mother, both during pregnancy and after the birth of the child,
is one of the factors most directly affecting the health of the child.
Hut in Finsbury, in the light of these figures, it can hardly be
supposed that the mother's occupation is frequently detrimental to
the child she bears. It should, of course, be remembered that this
does not exclude any influences unfavourable to the mother's health
prior to the time of her marriage. It is not, therefore, surprising
to learn that of the 1,859 children visited, as many as 1,368 (or 73.5
per cent.) were found to be in a fairly healthy and well-nourished
condition. Only 11.3 per cent. of the total were found to be badly
nourished or ill.