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10
births from the London County Council, supplied by the midwives.
Out of the 2.884 births we have collected a number of
particulars respecting 1,392 infants, and it may be well briefly to
refer to the data obtained.
(a) Age at Registration—By the Births and Deaths Registration
Act of 1874 (s. I), registration is required within 42 days of
the birth. In practice it has been found that about two-thirds of
the total births in England and Wales are registered within the
six weeks' limit of the Act. In Scotland, by an Act of 1854, the
period allowed for registration is 21 days, that is, three weeks
in place of six weeks. The French Code (Civil Art. 55) provides
for registration within three days of birth, and the new Notification
of Births Act, 1907, which has been adopted in the Borough, reduces
the period to 36 hours. This, however, is not a registration.
When it is remembered that about one-third of the total deaths
of infants takes place in the first month of life, it will be evident
that many births first come to the knowledge of the Sanitary
Authority on the bills of mortality, which, of course, effectually
precludes any preventive action whatever.
In Finsbury we find that between 50 and 60 per cent, of the
births are registered within the appointed time and by the new
Act it is hoped to secure earlier information in the future at
least of the majority of births.
(,b) Condition of the Home—Out of the 1,392 births under
consideration, 1,017 were born in homes of two rooms or less.
Taking, however, the total of all the homes, it was found that
only 8.3 per cent, could be described as distinctly unclean and
badly kept, and in as many as 53.9 per cent, of the total it could
be said that the home was clean and well kept.
(c) Condition of Child.—Few things are more remarkable
in relation to this subject than the apparent physical vigour and
equipment of infants at the time of birth, and this applies even to
the children of the very poor. There appears to be a mean physical
standard which is the inheritance of the people as a whole,
and the tendency of the race is to maintain this inherited mean,