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 1930

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]

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Table: Table showing the number of births and the birth rates in England and Wales, London, Kensington, and the various districts in the borough in 1930, and the rates for the previous five years:—

Table showing the number of births and the birth rates in England and Wales, London, Kensington, and the various districts in the borough in 1930, and the rates for the previous five years:—

District.1930.Birth-rates in previous years.
No. of births.Birth-rate.1929.1928.1927.1926.1925.
England and Wales649,43016.316.316.716.717.818.3
London69,44915.715.715.716.117.118.0
The Borough2,58014.614.414.315.015.115.8
North Kensington1,77719.019.318.719.818.720.6
South Kensington6778.27.78.07.98.98.3
Wards.
St. Charles47217.919.320.215.618.418.8
Golborne55421.521.820.823.721.822.2
Norland48222.021.519.322.921.126.0
Pembridge26913.613.313.516.512.214.5
Holland1779.48.210.110.59.68.8
Earl's Court1759.88.78.76.910.78.2
Queen's Gate705.26.25.75.77.88.5
Redcliffe1879.49.28.18.19.29.2
Brompton635.35.06.37.75.96.3
Ward unknown126..................

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The effects of social status on the birth rate are illustrated by the fact that the rate for South
Kensington is usually less than half the rate for North Kensington, whilst in 1930 the birth rate
in each of the two wards in which the poorest inhabitants of the borough reside was more
than four times as great as the rate for the ward of Brompton in the south.

Table: 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:—

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.
1881-188526.1
1886-189023.5
1891-189522.0
1896-190021.6
1901-190520.4
1906-191018.7
1911-191519.1
1916.192017.2
1921.192517.2
192615.1
192715.0
192814.3
192914.4
193014.6

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Notification of Births Act, 1907. Parents are allowed a period of six weeks within
which to register the birth of a child, but the fulfilment of this duty is so frequently postponed
until the last few days of this period that the records of the registrars of births do not enable
public heath authorities to gain that early knowledge of the birth of children in their districts
which is so essential to the success of the work of health visitors. This disadvantage arising from
delay in birth registration has been met by the Notification of Births Act, which requires all live
births and all still births occurring after the twenty-eighth week of pregnancy to be notified within
thirty-six hours to the medical officer of health of the district in which they occur.