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 1912
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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5
Illegitimate Births.—The illegitimate births numbered 183, and were equivalent to a rate
of 11 per 10,000 persons living as compared with a rate of 9 for London in the year 1911.
The subjoined figures show that 3,004 births in all were notified, and that the notification certificates received from various sources numbered 3,021, and included 17 duplicates.
| Source of Notification. | Notifications received. | Duplicate notifications. | Number of Births Notified. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still Births. | Live Births. | Total Births. | |||
| Midwives | 1,495 | 10 | 48 | 1,437 | 1,485 |
| Parents | 648 | 4 | 8 | 631 | 689 |
| Medical Practitioners | 564 | 3 | 29 | 5 32 | 561 |
| Other Persons | 119 | 0 | 8 | 116 | 119 |
| Births in the Borough | 2,821 | 17 | 88 | 2,716 | 2,804 |
| Institutions outside the Borough | 200 | — | 7 | 193 | 200 |
| Total | 8,021 | 17 | 95 | 2,90 9 | 8,004 |
Of the notifications received 200 were forwarded by the London County Council, and related
to infants born of Kensington mothers in Queen Charlotte's Hospital and other Institutions beyond
the Borough.
Still Births. -The infants notified as still-born numbered 95. Still-births are not registered,
ana it should be noted that they are accordingly not included in the numbers on which the birthlates
for the Borough and the various wards have been calculated. Information could only be
obtained in regard to 40 out of the total number of still-born infants notified. Ten were noted
as illegitimate, three were born dead from three twin pregnancies, and five were born in wedlock
of mothers employed in laundry work. In 29 cases the mother is known to have followed no
occupation. Twelve children were born from the first or second pregnancy, 16 from the sixth or
some later conception, and 12 from intermediate pregnancies. A history of one or more previous
miscarriages or still-births was obtained in 9 cases, and of two or more in 5 cases.
The immediate cause of still-birth where detailed information was obtained, appears to have
been in 9 cases haemorrhage during pregnancy, in 6 cases difficult labour and in 4 cases malpresentation.
In 21 cases labour and pregnancy, according to the mother's statement, were normal,
and no cause for the still-birth could be assigned. No reference has been made to syphilis
as a cause of miscarriage and still-birth, because the necessary inquiries for obvious reasons cannot
be undertaken by the Council's Health Visitors.
Deaths.—The corrected number of deaths was 2,287. The crude death-rate was 133 and
the corrected death-rate 14.3 per 1,000 living. To obtain the corrected number of
deaths, which represents the true mortality among the population, it is necessary to add the deaths
of Kensington "residents" occurring beyond the district to the number registered as actually ,
taking place in the Borough, and to subtract from the total thus arrived at the deaths of " non-