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The birth-rate of Westminster, calculated in this way, is the lowest
in London, Hampstead being next. There is, however, a slight increase
in the number of legitimate births over the 1906 figures. The number
of illegitimate births in London is increased by a number of women
who come up from the country, and it is not always possible, for
various reasons, to refer the births to the district to which they properly
belong.
The City of Westminster Health Society have continued and
extended their visiting of infants, and state in their Annual
Report that as a result of the arrangements with the various general and
lying-in hospitals in the City and neighbourhood, whereby the Society
is supplied from time to time with list of impending maternity cases on
their books, they have been able to visit 401 houses before the confinement
took place; subsequently they visit once a month, or oftener
if required, during the first three months, later on once a quarter. In
all about 1,300 infants were visited during the year. It is sometimes
alleged that people resent such visits, but the contrary is the case, and
only seven mothers did not wish to be visited.
From 991 records which were fully kept, it appears that 653 were
breast-fed up to the usual time for weaning, 195 were partly breast-fed
from an early age, and 94 were bottle-fed entirely from birth; 78 of the
mothers were engaged in work away from home, 161 were engaged in
industrial work at home. The nationality of 712 mothers was English,
and 496 of their babies were wholly and 119 partially breast-fed; 174 were
Russian or Polish (with one or two exceptions Jews), 93 of the babies
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