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9
It will be seen that the birth-rate for Finsbury is greater than
the rate for the whole of England and Wales, greater than the
birth-rate for London, and greater than the rates in the 77 great
towns, the 136 smaller towns, and the essentially rural districts.
The birth-rate is greatest in St. Luke, least in St.
Sepulchre.
Sixty-one of the births in Finsbury children occurred in the City
Road Workhouse, 153 were notified as having taken place in other
metropolitan boroughs. At the City of London Lying-in Hospital
there were 992 births during the year; of these 120 belonged to
Finsbury, and the rest to other London boroughs.
NOTIFICATION OF BIRTHS ACT, 1907.—This Act was
adopted by the Borough Council on the 19th December, 1907, and
came into force on the 9th March, 1908
All births, including still-births, must be notified to the Medical
Officer of Health within 36 hours by the father or by any person
who at the time of the birth or within 6 hours thereafter was
in attendance on the mother. For the purpose of notification,
stamped addressed envelopes are supplied free of charge to all
Doctors and Midwives resident or practising in the Borough.
The number of notifications received in 1911 was 3,441. There
were 60 sets of twins, but no triplets or quadruplets. There were
92 still births.
The percentage notified by parents was 12.0, by medical men 4.5,
by midwives 18.0, and by others—chiefly medical students and professional
assistants, was 65.5 per cent.
The mothers in this last percentage (65 per cent.) were all
attended gratuitously in their confinements.
This means that approximately 2,200 Finsbury mothers, or 2 out
of every 3, were cared for during child-birth and the subsequent