View report page

6
Still Births.—The infants notified as still-born numbered 96. Still-births are not registered,
and it should be noted that they are accordingly not included in the numbers on which the birthrates
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. One child was born
dead from a twin pregnancy, and eight were born in wedlock of mothers employed in laundry work.
In 29 cases the mother is known to have followed no occupation. Ten children were born from
the first or second pregnancy, 16 from the sixth or some later conception, and 14 from intermediate
pregnancies. A history of one previous miscarriage or still-birth was obtained in 4 cases and of
two or more in 5 cases.
The immediate cause of still-birth where detailed information was obtained, appears to nave
been in 13 cases haemorrhage during pregnancy, and in 6 cases difficult labour. In 8 cases labour
and pregnancy, according to the mother's statement, were normal, and no cause for the still-birth
could be assigned. The part played by syphilis as a cause of miscarriage and still-birth is beycnd
the scope of the enquiries undertaken by the Council's Health Visitors.
Deaths.—The corrected number of deaths was 2,289. The crude death-rate was 13.4
and the standardised death-rate 13.3 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 substract from the total thus arrived at the deaths of "non-residents"
occurring in institutions or other places in Kensington. The following figures show how the
corrected number of deaths given above has been obtained:—
Total deaths registered in the Borough 2,624
Deaths of residents beyond the Borough 482
3,056
Deatho of non-residents within the Borough 767
Corrected number of deaths belonging to the Borough 2,289
The standardised death-rate is designed to represent the mortality that would have occurred
had the age and sex distribution of the population in Kensington been the same as that of the
population of the country as a whole in the Census year 1901. The age and sex composition of
the population in Kensington is slightly in favour of a high mortality, and the effect of making
allowance for these disturbing factors is to reduce the crude death-rate of 13.4 to the standardised
rate of 13.3 already given. Where comparisons are instituted between populations with a widely
different age and sex composition the use of standardised death-rates is essential, but in Kensington
and in the Metropolis as a whole the influence of age and sex is for practical purposes the same,
and the crude death-rates shown in the following Table may be accepted as roughly representing
the relative mortality in the two areas.
Crude Death-rates per 1,000 living
Kensington.
London.
1896-1900 16.3 18.5
1901-1905 14.7 16.4
1906-1910 138 14.9
1911 13.9 15.0
1912 13.3 13.6
1913 14.0 14.2
1914 13.4 14.4
The mortality in Kensington is somewhat less than in London as a whole; in both areas the
death-rate is remarkably low and has fallen steadily during the past fifteen years.