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
Islington 1912
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Islington, Metropolitan Borough of]
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30
1912]
The birth-rate, based on the estimated number of women living in the
Borough, at the child-bearing period of life, 15—45 years of age, was 114.2,
as compared with 116.4 in 1891, 102.5 in 1901, and 111.5 in 1911. The
inference to be drawn from birth.rates calculated in this—the more correct—
manner was discussed in the Medical Officer of Health's report for 1911, pages
29 and 30, as well as in his report for 1904.
Sex.—Of the 8,211 infants born, 4,199 were males and 3,852 females,
while the sex of 160 was not reported by the Registrar General.
ILLEGITIMATE BIRTHS.
Indeed, the proportions of these births to the total is is now higher than it has been for many years.
| Periods. | Illegitimate Births. | Total Registered Births. | Illegitimate Births per 100 Registered Births. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1881-1890 | 3,475 | 97,420 | 3.57 |
| 1891-1900 | 2,719 | 97,278 | 2.79 |
| 1901-1910 | 2,413 | 87,361 | 2.76 |
| 1911 | 248 | 8,113 | 3.0 |
| 1912 | 333 | 8,211 | 4.05 |
Table G. in the Appendix gives a return for each year since 1841 of
the illegitimate births registered in Islington, which have been abstracted by
the Medical Officer of Health from the annual and other reports of the Registrar
General.
The Notification of Births —There were 7,238 notifications received
during the year under the Notification of Births Act, 1907, which requires that
all births shall be notified to the Medical Officer of Health within thirty.six
hours of their occurrence. The notifications represented 88.1 per cent of the
entire number of the registered births.