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
Bethnal Green 1915
Report on the sanitary condition and vital statistics during the year 1915 together with the report of the Chief Sanitary Inspector
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The details of live and still births are given in the following table:—
| Male. | Female. | Not stated. | Totals. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Live Births— | ||||
| Single birlhs | 1589 | 1579 | 7 | 3253 |
| Twins, same sex | 18 | 28 | — | |
| ,, mixed sex | 13 | 13 | — | |
| Triplets | 3 | 3 | — | |
| Still Births— | ||||
| Single births | 19 | 30 | 55 | |
| Twins, same sex | 2 | — | — | |
Thirty-seven of the notifications referred to twins and
two to triplets.
Miss Hammond's district comprises the South and
West Wards of the Borough. She reports a total of
1,741 notified births; she made 2,594 visits and revisits
to the homes of the mothers. The large majority of the
infants were wholly breast-fed. and about 20 per cent,
partially so, leaving some 15 per cent, of bottle-fed
babies. Considering the poverty of the district and the
fact that many of the mothers are wage-earners, this is a
good record. Many mothers who go out to work stipulate
that they may have time off to go home for the mid-day
meal hour so that they may continue the breast-feeding
of their infants.
Mrs. Hodgkin's district comprises the North and
East Wards of the Borough; she reports a total of 1,526
births notified. Her visits and revisits numbered 2,667.
Mrs. Hodgkin reports that, with the exception of about