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failing to notify have been readily traced. To these a printed form
has been sent, and has never failed to induce defaulters to notify.
As time proceeds the Act is becoming better known—in 1908,
277 notices of omission were sent to parents; in 1909 this number
was reduced to 181.
The number of notifications received in 1909 was 3,526—made
up of 1,921 males, and 1,705 females.
There were 75 still births.
Forty-two notifications were those of twins—there were no
cases of triplets.
It is usual to find that twins occur in about one out of every
60 or 80 births, and triplets in only one out of 6,000 to 7,000
births.
The percentage notified by parents was 15-8, by medical men
3-4, by midwives 15-7, and by other persons, students and professional
assistants 64.9.
Two prosecutions were instituted under the Act, both against
the same defendant.
December 17th, at Clerkenwell Police Court, Mrs. Dorothea
Tasselli, 4, Vineyard Walk, was summoned for failing to notify
to the Medical Officer of Health the birth of a child, which took
place at No. 6, Great Bath Street. Fined £1, and 23 shillings
costs.
December 17th, at Clerkenwell Police Court, Mrs. Dorothea
Tasselli, 4, Vineyard Walk, was summoned for failing to notify
to the Medical Officer of Health the birth of a child, which took
place at No. 15, Vineyard Walk. Fined £1 and 30 shillings costs.
Mrs. Tasselli is an unregistered Italian midwife who attends
her compatriots in their confinements. Her work was the
subject of adverse comment in the Annual Report for 1907. In
that year, three of her cases in the limited period of seven months,
developed puerperal fever and died from that disease.