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 1907
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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69
The Town Clerk's letter and the form of notification card were communicated to the several
Medical Officers of Health, with the hope of securing uniformity of practice throughout the
Metropolis. Weekly lists of births notified are sent to the County Council on the form prescribed
by the Local Government Board.
Early in January, 1908, I addressed a communication to every Vicar, and to each Minister
in the borough as follows:—
" Notification of Births Act, 1907.—Bev. and Dear Sir.—I enclose, for information, a letter
recently sent by the Council to local medical men and midwives, setting out the provisions of the
above-named Act.
" Having regard to the prevailing high rate of infantile mortality, it is needless to insist on
the importance of early information of births. Hitherto, we have been dependent for information
on the weekly returns of the registrars; and registration of births being commonly delayed
for weeks—and sometimes even for months—visitation of the mothers, by the Council's Health
Visitor—for the giving of advice with respect to the feeding and care of babies, has been
correspondingly delayed. It is hoped, an a result of the new Act, that, in suitable cases,
mothers will henceforth be visited in the second week after confinement,
"As, however, it will naturally take time to bring the requirements of the Act to the
knowledge of the public—especially of the poorer classes, I am writing to request the favour of
your assistance to make them known in whatever ways you may deem best. But I would
especially beg you to interest district visitors in this good work by inviting them to call the
attention of the father of any newly-born child to his statutory duty of intorming me of the birth
within thirty-six hours after its occurrence."
One vicar and one nonconformist minister acknowledged receipt of the letter and promised
assistance.
[It may be interesting to give a few particulars of the working of the Act in the Borough in the first thirteen weeks in 1908, completing the official year 1907-8, which may be summarised as follows:—
| Letters sent (with pattern notification letter-card) to doctors | in number 342 |
| Applications for Cards received from doctors | „ 39 |
| Letters sent (with pattern notification letter-card) to midwives | „ 23 |
| Applications for Cards received from midwives | „ 17 |
| Estimated number of births to March 28th, 1908 (13 weeks) | 858 |
| Notifications received to March 28th, 1908 (viz.:) | 412 |
| Notifications by parents | 178 |
| Notifications by doctors | „ 75 |
| Notifications by midwives | 121 |
| Notifications by Queen Charlotte's Hospital (St. Marylebone) | 31 |
| Notifications by other persons | 7 |
| Registrations of birth occurring in 13 weeks to March 28th, 1908 | 465 |
| Notifications received of such registered births to March 28th, 1908 | 200 |
| Notifications made on Council's Cards supplied to doctors and midwives | 340 |
| Notifications made by letters and post-cards | 41 |
| Notifications made by weekly lists from Queen Charlotte's Hospital | 31 |
| Notifications made by parents on Council's Cards supplied to doctors | 31 |
| Notifications made by parents on Council's Cards supplied to midwives | 117 |
Notes.—The notified births were about 49 per cent, of births occurring.
[In the year 1907 the notices of births received from the London County Council were
721, and 21 per cent, of the births registered.]
The notified births were to mothers who, with few exceptions, were suitable subjects for
visitation by the Council's health visitor.
With rare exceptions the notifications were made accurately; the Cards, probably, having
been, in most of the cases notified by parents, filled up under the guidance of doctors or midwives.