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 1932
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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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. |
|---|---|
| 1881-1885 | 26.1 |
| 1886-1890 | 23.5 |
| 1891-1895 | 22.0 |
| 1896-1900 | 21.6 |
| 1901-1905 | 20.4 |
| 1906-1910 | 18.7 |
| 1911-1915 | 19.1 |
| 1916-1920 | 17.2 |
| 1921-1925 | 17.2 |
| 1926-1930 | 14.6 |
| 1931 | 14.2 |
| 1932 | 12.9 |
Notification of Births Act, 1907—During the year, 2,362 live births to Kensington mothers were
registered, and of this number 2,327 or 98 per cent. were notified in accordance with the requirements
of the Act. The number of stillbirths notified was 73, and the number of births notified as
having occurred in Kensington but belonging to other districts was 481.
The following table indicates the source of notification and the kinds of births notified.
| Source of notification. | Number of births notified. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still births. | Live births. | Total births. | |||
| Number notified by midwives | 17 | 1,026 | 1,043 | ||
| „ „ „ parents | — | 33 | 33 | ||
| „ „ „ medical practitioners | 16 | 352 | 368 | ||
| „ ., ,, other persons | 18 | 401 | 414 | ||
| Births in the borough | 46 | 1,812 | 1,858 | ||
| Notified from institutions outside the borough | 27 | 515 | 542 | ||
| Totals | 2,327 | 2,400 | |||
| Year. | Percentage. |
|---|---|
| 1928 | 94 |
| 1929 | 95 |
| 1930 | 97 |
| 1931 | 97 |
| 1932 | 98 |
The importance of securing due compliance with the Notification of Births Act cannot be
over.estimated, for the information obtained constitutes the starting point of the work of health
visitors.