London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Finsbury 1912
Annual report on the public health of Finsbury for the year 1912
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10
NOTIFICATION OF BIRTHS ACT, 1907.—This Act came
into force on the 9th March, 1908, having been adopted by the
Borough Council on December 19th, 1907.
The effect of its adoption may be seen from the accompanying table.
| Year | 1908 | 1909 | 1910 | 1911 | 1912 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Births notified | 2,953 | 3,526 | 3,566 | 3,441 | 3,401 |
| Percentage attended by Doctors | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 4.5 | 3.5 |
| Percentage attended by Midwives | 11.4 | 15.7 | 13.0 | 18.0 | 18.7 |
| Still births notified | 74 | 75 | 89 | 92 | 105 |
| Births registered | 2,916 | 2,857 | 2,833 | 2,676 | 2,579 |
Notifications were received of 42 sets of twins and of one set of
triplets.
The percentage notified by parents was 10.5, by medical men
3.5, by midwives 18.7, and by others—chiefly medical students and
lady midwifery students—was 67.3 per cent.
The mothers in this last group were all attended gratuitously in
their confinements,
This means that in 1912, 2,290 Finsbury mothers, or 2 out of
every 3, were cared for during child-birth, and during the subsequent
lying-in period for no charge whatever, chiefly by the medical
students of St. Bartholomew's Hospital, University College
Hospital, the Royal Free Hospital, and by the midwives and
midwifery students from the City of London Lying-in Hospital,
the Maternity Nursing Association, and the Royal Maternity
Charity.