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 1936
[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 |
| 1931-1935 | 12.6 |
| 1936 | 12.7 |
Notification of Births Act, 1907—During the year, 2,228 live births to Kensington mothers were
registered, and of this number 2,214 or 99 per cent. were notified in accordance with the requirements
of the Act. The number of still births notified was 67, and the number of births notified as having
occurred in Kensington but belonging to other districts was 564.
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 | 25 | 861 | 886 |
| „ „ „ parents | - | 19 | 19 |
| „ „ „ medical practitioners | 2 | 217 | 219 |
| „ „ „ other persons | 19 | 553 | 572 |
| Births in the borough | 46 | 1,650 | 1,696 |
| Notified from institutions outside the borough | 21 | 564 | 585 |
| Totals | 67 | 2,214 | 2,281 |
| Year. | Percentage. |
|---|---|
| 1932 | 98 |
| 1933 | 94 |
| 1934 | 93 |
| 1935 | 98 |
| 1936 | 99 |
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.
Deaths.
The number of deaths registered in the borough during 1936 was 2,961, but this does not
represent the true mortality among the population. In order to obtain the corrected number
of deaths which does so represent the true mortality, it is necessary to add the deaths of Kensington
"residents" occurring outside the district to the number registered as actually occurring in the
borough, and to subtract from the total thus arrived at the deaths of "non-residents" taking
place in the institutions provided in Kensington for the reception of sick or infirm persons.
Total deaths registered in the borough 2,961
Deaths of residents in public institutions, etc., beyond the borough 535
3,496
Deaths of non-residents in public institutions, etc., within the borough 1,295
Corrected number of deaths belonging to the borough 2,201