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20
In calculating the illegitimate death-rate the illegitimates
born in outside institutions have been included, but in previous
reports this was not the case, as information as to their status
was not obtained. If the illegitimates born outside be excluded,
the death-rate in 1909 was 338 per 1,000, which compares with
an average of 342 per 1,000 in the previous ten years, so that
the decline in infant mortality does not seem in Fulham as
yet to have extended to the illegitimates.
The provision of the Infant Life Protection Act, 1907, requiring
notice to be given to the local authority by all persons
receiving more than one child under the age of 5 years has
been extended by the Children's Act, 1908, which requires
notice to be given where a person undertakes for reward the
nursing and maintenance of one or more infants under the
age of seven years apart from their parents or having no
parents. The local authority under the Act in the County
of London is the London County Council, and the sections
dealing with nurse children are administered not by the Public
Health Department, but for some not very obvious reason,
by the Public Control Department, which deals with the
storage of petroleum, the registration of motor cars and
kindred matters.
With the view of co-operating if possible in its administration,
application was made to the County Council for a
list of persons registered in Fulham under the Act, but this
information was refused.
The following table gives the causes of deaths among
illegitimates, and it may be noted that the death-rate from
diarrhœal diseases alone is equal to that from all causes
among legitimate children.