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
Kensington 1925
The annual report on the health of the Borough for the year1925
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5
BIRTHS.
The number of births registered was 2,846, after correction for inward and outward
transfers ; and the birth rate for the Borough was 15'8 per 1,000 population. Distributed according
to sex and legitimacy the births were as follow:—
Male.
Female.
Total.
Legitimate 1,356 1,292 2,648
Illegitimate 112 86 198
Total 1,468 1,878 2,846
Table showing the number of births and the birth rates in England and Wales, London, Kensington and the various districts in the Borough in 1925, and the rates for the previous five years:—
| District. | 1925. | Birth-rates in previous years. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of Births. | Birth-rate. | 1924. | 1923. | 1922. | 1921. | 1920. | |
| England and Wales | 710,979 | 18.3 | 18.8 | 19.7 | 20.6 | 22.4 | 25.4 |
| London | 82,401 | 18.0 | 18.7 | 20.2 | 21.0 | 22.3 | 26.5 |
| The Borough | 2,846 | 15.8 | 16.2 | 17.5 | 17.6 | 18.7 | 24.3 |
| North Kensington | 1,950 | 20.6 | 21.7 | 22.6 | 22.9 | 25.1 | 32.8 |
| South Kensington | 711 | 8.3 | 9.2 | 10.1 | 9.8 | 11.3 | 13.2 |
| Wards. St. Charles | 468 | 18.8 | 20.5 | 21.4 | 23.6 | 23.8 | 32.7 |
| Golborne | 599 | 22.2 | 25.2 | 26.6 | 25.5 | 29.4 | 38.2 |
| Norland | 587 | 26.0 | 24.8 | 24.9 | 25.7 | 27.2 | 35.1 |
| Pembridge | 296 | 14.5 | 14.9 | 16.3 | 15.5 | 18.6 | 23.1 |
| Holland | 171 | 8.8 | 10.8 | 11.2 | 11.0 | 12.3 | 13.9 |
| Earl's Court | 150 | 8.2 | 9.9 | 10.4 | 10.6 | 14.1 | 15.0 |
| Queen's Gate | 120 | 8.5 | 6.9 | 6.6 | 6.9 | 7.5 | 8.5 |
| Redcliffe | 187 | 9.2 | 9.7 | 12.3 | 11.0 | 11.4 | 14.6 |
| Brompton | 83 | 6.3 | 7.5 | 8.7 | 8.4 | 10.4 | 12.9 |
| Ward unknown | 185 | ... | |||||
The effects of social status on the birth rate are illustrated by the fact that the rate for South
Kensington usually is less than half the rate for North Kensington, whilst in 1925 the birth rate
for Norland Ward in the North was more than four times as great as the rate for the Ward of
Brompton in the South.
The decline in the birth rate in Kensington since 1881, which is similar to that taking place throughout the country, is shown in the following table:—
| Period. | Birth-rate per 1.000 population. | |
|---|---|---|
| 1881-1885 | 26.1 | |
| 1886-1890 | 23.5 | |
| 1891-1895 | 22.0 | |
| 1896-1900 | 21.6 | |
| 1901-1905 | 20.4 | |
| 1906-1910 | 18.7 | |
| 1911-1915 | 19.1 | |
| 1916-1920 | 17.2 | |
| 1921 | 18.7 | |
| 1922 | 17.6 | |
| 1923 | 17.5 | |
| 1924 | 16.2 | |
| 1925 | 15.8 | |