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 1913
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Islington, Metropolitan Borough of]
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23
[1913
The following statement shows the illegitimacy in the borough since 1841:—
| Periods. | Illegitimate Births. | Total Births. | Illegitimate Births per 1,000 Registered Births. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1841.50 | 641* | 20,850 | 3.07 |
| 1851.60 | 1.335 | 41,915 | 3.18 |
| 1861.70 | 2,651 | 67,520 | 3.92 |
| 1871.80 | 3,429 | 89,627 | 3.82 |
| 1881.90 | 3.475 | 97,420 | 3.57 |
| 1891.1900 | 2,719 | 97,278 | 2.79 |
| 1901.1910 | 2,413 | 87,361 | 2.76 |
*This is an estimated figure, as the returns for only seven years are available.
Table G of the Appendix gives a return of the illegitimate births for
each year since 1841.
The Notification of Births.—7,215 notifications of births, representing
86-7 per cent, of the total births, were forwarded to the Medical Officer of
Health under~the provisions of the Notification of Births Act, 1907, which
enacts that every birth shall be notified within thirty-six hours of its occurrence.
There were, however, 1,114 failures to comply with the Act, or 13-3
per cent, of the gross number of births.
In the preceding years the figures were as follows: —
| Births. | Notifications. | Failures to notify. | Per cent, notified. | Per cent, of Failures to notify. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1908 (From July 16th) | 3.967 | 3,211 | 756 | 80*9 | 19-1 |
| 1909 | 8,198 | 6.983 | 1.215 | 85-2 | 14-8 |
| I9IO | 8,201 | 7.407 | 794 | 90-3 | 97 |
| igil | 8,113 | 7.232 | 881 | bg*i | 10 9 |
| 1912 | 8,211 | 7.238 | 973 | 88-i | II*9 |
| 1913 | 8.359 | 7.245 | 1,114 | 86-3 | I3'3 |
Here it is seen that the percentage of failures to notify has gradually
increased during the last four years from 9-7 per cent, in 1910 to 13-3 in 1913.
Of the 7,245 notifications,
1,070 were supplied by medical practitioners.
3,351 were supplied by midwives.
2,824 were supplied by parents and others.