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7
During the year notification was received of 1,462 births which
took place in Westminster; of these, 38 were stillborn children, whose
births are not subsequently registered; (12 other stillbirths were
known but not notified). By comparing the births which were
registered as having occurred after the 1st January with those notified,
it is found that the proportion of births notified was 71*2 per cent,
for the City. The proportion notified in previous years was 64'8 per
cent. in 1909, 68 in 1910, 70.9 in 1911 and 71.1 in 1912.
In addition, information was received through the County Council of
births coming to their knowledge in their work of supervising midwives,
and from some of the Medical Officers of Health of boroughs in which
there is a maternity hospital; births occurring in such an institution
would be notified and registered in the borough in which it is situate.
The Registrar-General now supplies at the end of the year, a more
complete list of births in outlying institutions, but it would be
preferable if these could be supplied at the end of each month, as we
are unable to visit a number of the families through absence of this
information.
The mothers and infants were visited after the twelfth day by the
Council's visitor, Mrs. Watkinson, in co-operation with the voluntary
health visitors in cases where advice appeared desirable. 1,354 of
the notified were visited. In addition to these 477 births registered
but not notified and 258 obtained from other sources were visited,
making a total of 2,089 including cases of stillbirths ; 194 appeared
to be above the standard and were not visited; 17 did not desire or
did not appear to require further visiting, and 41 were not found
(these occur among the registered births where several weeks intervened
between the birth and registration, in which time the parents
had moved).
There were 1,057 infants born in 1912 who were under one year of
age at the end of 1912, and these also have been visited in 1913.
After making allowance for removals and deaths there were 1,470
infants on the visiting list at the end of the year.
The visitors endeavour to keep in touch with the children up to
school age. In this way 3,798 children born in previous years, 1908-12,
have been visited during 1913. Making allowance for removals and
deaths, there were at the end of the year 5,156 children on the
visiting list.
By co-operation with the hospitals and lying-in charities the Health
Society received the names of 517 women expecting to become mothers.
Arrangements are made by the visitors as to suitable nurses or for
reliable women to look after the homes or family if the mother is
going into hospital, and instruction is given verbally and by printed