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
Paddington 1914
Report on the vital statistics and the work of the Public Health Department for the years 1914-18 (inclusive)
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births. TABLE 1. Illegitimate Births: Percentages. Percentage of Illegitimate to Total Births.
| 1914 | 1915 | 1910 | 1917 | 1918 | |
| Borough. | 6.17 | 6.26 | 8.92 | 10.28 | 10.41 |
| Words. | |||||
| Queen's Park | 5.35 | 3.84 | 5.50 | 6.40 | 4.00 |
| Harrow Road | 3.44 | 2.92 | 4.99 | 3.90 | 8.58 |
| Maida Vale | 6.23 | 11.02 | 11.76 | 12.23 | 14.76 |
| Westbourne | 6.56 | 7.72 | 945 | 10.74 | 7.65 |
| Church | 7.36 | 6.35 | 866 | 10.91 | 10.57 |
| Lancaster Gate, West | 12.28 | 7.84 | 21.05 | 34.61 | 20.00 |
| „ East | 6.25 | 10.00 | 13.63 | 15.21 | 13.20 |
| Hyde Park | 12.42 | 8.51 | 17.48 | 21.32 | 21.36 |
Notification of Births.—Of the 11,224 births registered in the Borough during the five
years, 10,823 had been previously notified. The percentage of non-notified births for the
whole period was 3.6, the annual percentages varying from 2.8 (1916) to 5.3 (1917). The
variations in the proportions of births registered after notification are shown below.
Percentages of Births Registered after Notification.
| Total Births. | ||||||||||
| Quarters | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Registration Areas | 1914 | 1915 | 1916 | 1917 | 1918 |
| 1914 | 97.0 | 96.7 | 96.1 | 95.6 | North Paddington | 97.2 | 97.5 | 98.4 | 95.9 | 98.3 |
| 1915 | 96.1 | 96.3 | 97.2 | 96.8 | Central „ | 97.2 | 98.0 | 97.5 | 95.5 | 97.2 |
| 1916 | 97.0 | 96.0 | 98.2 | 97.7 | South „ | 88.2 | 82.2 | 89.5 | 83.2 | 88.0 |
| 1917 | 93.4 | 92 .9 | 96.2 | 96.7 | Borough | 96.4 | 96.6 | 97.2 | 94.6 | 96.9 |
| 1918 | 96.6 | 97.2 | 96.0 | 98.0 | ||||||
The figures given below, showing the proportions of notifications received from medical
practitioners and others, indicate great changes in the practice of midwifery, in 1914 rather
more than one-third (38 per cent.) of births were reported by midwives—some 4 per cent,
more than by medical practitioners—whereas in 1918 the proportion reported by midwives
had increased to over 61 per cent., and that reported by medical practitioners fallen to some
27 per cent.—a difference in favour of the former of approximately 34 per cent. The
demand for medical practitioners for the Services was undoubtedly largely responsible for
this change. It will be interesting to observe whether the change be a temporary one or
not.
Notification of Births. Percentages of Total Notifications received.
| 1914 | 1915 | 1916 | 1917 | 1918 | |
| From— Medical Practitioners | 33.7 | 35.79 | 35.22 | 33.44 | 26.96 |
| Midwives | 37.8 | 40.14 | 48.44 | 55.06 | 61.35 |
| Parents | 17.9 | 14.36 | 13.17 | 7.57 | 7.21 |
| Others | 10.6 | 3.70 | 3.15 | 3.91 | 4.18 |
Included among the .11,224 births registered within the Borough there were 818 births
of illegitimates, of which 783 had been previously notified. The percentage of non-notified
births of this category for the whole period was 4.3, varying within the limits of 1'6 per cent.
(1916) and 6-7 (1915).
Still-Births.—The 11,146 births notified during the five years included 332 notifications
of still-births, equal to 3.0 per cent, (nearly) of all births notified. I he annual percentages
recorded in each year—in the Borough and in each of the Wards—are shown in Table 2.