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

Camberwell 1926

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Camberwell.

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7
The decline in the birth rate in the last few years is shown in
the following table. This decline is not peculiar to Camberwell,
but is taking place throughout England and Wales.
Birth Rate.
Year.
Population.
Births.
21.4
1922
270,300
5,802
272,300
5,657
20.7
1923
1924
273,700
5,146
18.8
1925
275,400
4,877
17.7
1926
275,400
4,584
16.6

Table: The following table is of interest in showing the birth rate of England and Wales, London, the Borough of Camberwell and the several Wards in the Borough, for the year 1926:—

The following table is of interest in showing the birth rate of England and Wales, London, the Borough of Camberwell and the several Wards in the Borough, for the year 1926:—

District.No. of Births.Birth Rate.
England and Wales694,89717.8
London78,82517.1
The Borough4,58416.6
West Ward35222.2
Addington Ward33722.7
Town Hall Ward21614.8
St. George's Ward35120.6
Cobourg Ward33220.0
Marlborough Ward23016.9
North Peckham Ward33820.3
Goldsmith Ward.34421.5
Clifton Ward28316.9
Rye Lane Ward12713.8
St. Mary's Ward18615.8
Nunhead Ward25217.5
The Rye Ward13312.1
St. Giles' Ward17115.5
Lyndhurst Ward14811.9
St. John's Ward19813.2
Alleyn Ward20713.8
Ruskin Ward20212.3
The Hamlet Ward13310.7
The College Ward4410.9

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Notification of Births Act.—This Act requires all live births
and every still-birth occurring after the twenty-eighth week of
pregnancy to be notified within thirty-six hours to the Medical
Officer of Health of the district in which they occur. This
information is of extreme value, as it constitutes the starting
point of the work of Health Visitors.
During the year 4,126 live births were notified, or ninety percent,
of the total number of registered births. The number of
still-births notified was 97.
A cautionary letter was sent to the person in default whenever
it was discovered through the agency of the Registrar's
returns that the birth of a child had not been notified.