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
Battersea 1923
Report on the health of the Metropolitan Borough of Battersea for the year 1923
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19
Illegitimate Infant Deaths.
The death-rate amongst illegitimate children during 1923
was 130.4 per 1,000 births, as compared with 179.7 ia 1922 and
183-2 in 1921. The corresponding death-rate of legitimate infants
in 1923 was 46.7, the ratio of the mortality-rate of illegitimate
infants to that of legitimate being 2.79 to 1.
The following table shows (a) the legitimate and illegitimate births and deaths, (b) the ratio of illegitimate to legitimate births, (c) the deaths per 1,000) legitimate and illegitimate infant births respectively, and (d) the ratio of the illegitimate infant mortality rate to that of legitimate infants during the past 6 years:—
| Year | Births. | Ratio of Illeg. to Legit Birth | Death(Infants Under 1 Year). | Deaths Per 1000 Birhts. | Ratio of Illeg.I.M.R to Legit I.M.R. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legit. | Illeg. | Legit. | Illeg. | Legit. | Illeg. | |||
| 1918 | 2,529 | 171 | .068 | 226 | 41 | 89.4 | 239.8 | 2.68 |
| 1919 | 2,910 | 159 | .055 | 204 | 24 | 70.0 | 150.9 | 2.16 |
| 1920 | 4,509 | 160 | .035 | 358 | 28 | 79.4 | 175.0 | 2.20 |
| 1921 | 3,611 | 131 | .036 | 252 | 24 | 69.8 | 183.2 | 2.62 |
| 1922 | 3,537 | 128 | .036 | 231 | 23 | 65.0 | 179.7 | 2.76 |
| Average 1918-1922 | 3,420 | 150 | .044 | 254 | 28 | 74.3 | 186.7 | 2.51 |
| 1923 | 3,319 | 115 | .035 | 155 | 15 | 46.7 | 130.4 | 2.79 |
The table shows that the ratio of births registered as illegitimate
to legitimate births has remained almost stationary during the past
four years, although in 1923 lower than the average for the five
years 1918-22. On the other hand, the ratio of the illegitimate infant
mortality-rate to that of legitimate infants has increased in the past
four years, and in 1923 was 10 per cent, higher than the average
ratio for the previous five years. It is apparent, therefore, that
the great decrease in infant mortality during the past few years has
not affected to any appreciable extent relatively the prevailing high
rate of mortality amongst illegitimate children.
Notification of Births Act
The Notification of Births Act, 1907, was adopted in the Borough
of Battersea and came into force in 1908.
During 1923 the number of notifications of live births received
was 3,273. The corrected number of births registered in Battersea
was 3,434. The propotion of notified to registered births was 95.3
per cent.