London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Paddington 1914

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Paddington, Metropolitan Borough of]

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SICKNESS.

Queen's Park.Harrow Road.Maida Vale.Westbourne.Church.Lancaster Gate,Hyde Park.
West.East.
Births registered3366983663966234859133
Births notifiedincluding3506973784826194050119
Legitimate, living3416773634465953849116
Legitimate, dead71915102222
Illegitimate, living212521
Illegitimate, dead11

Of the 2,708 births registered in the Borough, 2,610 (or 96.4 per cent) had been previously
registered. The subjoined statement shows the progress of notification, as judged by the
percentage of births registered subsequent to notification.

Percentages of Births Registered after Notification.

Total Births.

Quarters.1.2.3.4.Registration Areas.1910.1911.1912.1913.1914.
191076.081.092.184.4North Paddington. 87.896.197.296.197.2
191192.395.096.793.2Central „. 81.795.597.296.597.2
191295.597.196.493.6South „. 78.379.585.880.988.2
191395.993.494.896.5Borough84.494.496.495.296.4
191497.096.796.195.6

Illegitimate Births.
Borough:- 1910, 74.5. 1911, 93.5. 1912, 94.9. 1913, 91.0 1914, 94.8.
The births of children notified as illegitimate numbered 33, and formed 1.2 per cent.
of the total births notified, as compared with 2.3 per cent. in 1913 and 2.6 per cent. in 1912.
It will be noticed that these proportions are considerably lower than those which were observed
among births registered in the Borough (4.9 per cent. in 1914, 5.5 per cent. in 1913, and 5.7 per
cent. in 1912). The differences between the figures are to be explained by the fact that in a
number of cases the notifications have not shown that the children were illegitimate, so that
they have escaped being recorded as such. The large number of notifications of illegitimate
births recorded above in Westbourne Ward is due to the presence of the Workhouse Lying-in
Wards in that part of the Borough.
There were 37 twin births notified during the year, and one birth of triplets. Of the latter
only one child (a female) was born alive, the others (males) being still-born. An analysis of the
sex composition of the twin births, distinguishing the children still-born, is given below:—
Total Births. Illegitimate Births.
Twin Births— M.M. M.F. F.F. M.M. M.F. F.F.
Both children living 13 15 5 — — —
One child dead 1 — 2 — — —
Both children dead 1 — — — — —
Still-births.—The Notification of Births Act requires the birth of a child born dead after
twenty-eight weeks' gestation to be notified. Last year 79 still-births were so reported, 77 of
legitimate and 2 of illegitimate children, equal to 2.9 per cent. of the total births notified. In
1913 the percentage was 2.4, and in 1912 2.6.
SICKNESS: Morbidity.
Table 4 gives the numbers of cases of infectious disease certified during the years 1914 and
1913, no corrections having been made for error of diagnosis. It will be remembered that for
statistical purposes the year 1913 contained 53 weeks, consequently comparisons should be based
upon the morbidity rates rather than upon the actual numbers of cases. The same remark