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 1908
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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The births were, after correction, 250 below the corrected decennial average number (3,688)
and were fewer by 603 than in the year 1872 (4,041), when the population (127,600) was 53,400,
less than in 1908; 191 of them were illegitimate.
The birth rate, which of late years has always been considerably below that of London
(25.2 in 1908), has been declining since 1868, in which year it was 33.1 per 1,000 persons living.
In 1908 it was 190 per 1,000, and T4 below the decennial average (20.4).
The rates in the sub-districts were:—Town 22.2; Brompton 10'6 per 1,000.
The births in North Kensington, i.e., the part of the Borough north of Holland park-avenue
and High-street, Notting-hill, were 2,487 ; the birth-rate 26*1 per 1,000 living, and 0'9 above
the metropolitan rate.
The births in South Kensington, i.e., the part of the borough south of the streets above
named were 1,017 ; the birth-rate 11.4, and 13'8 per 1,000 below the metropolitan rate.
The birth-rate in the several wards—after distribution of the births at the borough infirmary and at Queen Charlotte's Hospital—was as follows:—
| North Kensington— | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Charles | 655 births = | 28.6 | per 1,000 persons living. |
| Golborne | 886 births = | 82.2 | |
| Norland | 594 births = | 24.2 | |
| Pembridge | 352 births = | 17.4 | |
| South Kensington— | |||
| Holland | 295 births = | 13.8 | |
| Earl's Court | 202 births = | 10.7 | |
| Queen's Gate | 126 births = | 8.5 | |
| Redcliffe | 252 births = | 12.9 | |
| Brompton | 142 births = | 9.6 | |
The births exceeded the deaths by 1,106: in the Town sub-district they were 1,033 more in
number than the deaths, whilst in the Brompton sub-district they exceeded the deaths to the
number of 73 only.
In North Kensington the births exceeded the deaths by 958; in South Kensington to the
number of 148 only.
The excess of births over deaths in the several wards was as follows:—
| North Kensington. | St. Chailes | 288 | South Kensington. | Holland | 71 | |
| Golbonie | 448 | Queen's Gate | 31 | |||
| Norland | l39 | Redcliffe | 55 | |||
| Pembridge . | 83 | Brompton | 35 | |||
The deaths exceeded the births by 44 in Earl's Court Ward.
The registered births of illegitimate children in the borough, as a whole, were 191*—9 less
than in 1907. Of these births 173 were registered in the Town sub-district, which includes the
workhouse, at which institution out of 119 live births (males 58, females 61) 73 were illegitimate.
In the borough generally the illegitimate births formed 5"5 per cent, of total births, as compared
with rates of 4*5, 4'8, and 5'8 in the preceding three years.
* Inclusive of 30 at Queen Charlotte's Hospital.