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9
BIRTHS, 1918.
The total number of Births registered is 6,390, of which full
details are set out in Table A.
The birth-rate for Lambeth (Parish and Borough) has been
recently slowly, but steadily, declining—a decline not peculiar to
Lambeth, nor even to England, but to be found in nearly all
civilised countries.
Notification of Births Act.
The Notification of Births Act, 1907, was adopted throughout
the Borough, and came into operation on March 9th, 1908.
Since the Act came into force, a total of 70,889 births have
been notified up to the end of 1918, viz. : 3,473 in 1908 (10 months),
5,143 in 1909, 6,703 in 1910, 7,094 in 1911, 7336 in 1912, 7,158 in
1913, 7,397 in 1914, 7,091 in 1915, 7,293 in 1916, 6,311 in 1917, and
5,890 in 1918.
The notified cases are visited, or such other measures taken
in connection therewith, in the way of distributing pamphlets, etc.,
as are found necessary. In the cases of notified infants who are
visited, the methods of feeding are carefully inquired into and
instruction given as required, breast-feeding being encouraged
wherever possible ; whilst the proper clothing and management of
infants are also dealt with. Revisiting is carried out as far as is
practicable with the staff at disposal. Systematic revisiting of
infants is important.
It is impossible to give satisfactory statistics of the educational
value of the visiting of houses wherein births have been notified, but
there is no doubt as to the existence of such value—a result that
will, naturally, be increased by systematic re-visiting, which is now
being carried out, in addition to the first visiting.
Returns of all Births (with addresses of mothers), registered
in Lambeth, are obtained from the District Registrars week by
week, for the purpose of checking the notification returns and vice
versa.