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
St Pancras 1948
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Pancras, Metropolitan Borough]
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62
SECTION 7.
Maternity and Child Welfare.
The Maternity and Child Welfare services and staffs passed to the control of the
London County Council as from 5th July, 1948, when the National Health Service Act came
into force, and the statistics and particulars given in this Section, so far as 1948 is concerned,
refer to the period 1st January to 4th July only, except where otherwise stated.
Notification of Births.
Under the Public Health (London) Act, 1936, a medical practitioner attending a
woman in her confinement is required, within 36 hours, to give notice to the Medical Officer
of the local Health Authority of the occurrence of the birth of a child, alive or dead . . .
unless he (or she) has reason to believe that the father of the child, or some other person who
either was present at the birth or who was in attendance on the mother within six hours
afterwards, has already sent the notification. No fee is payable. This notification is in
addition to, and not in substitution for, Registration of Birth, which must be made to the
local Registrar of Births and Deaths within 42 days of the birth.
Prior to 4th July, 1948, such notifications were required to be made to the district Medical Officer of Health, and the number notified for the six months of the year to that date was as follows:—
| Births (live and still) notified as having taken place in St. Pancras | 1,638 |
| 918 | |
| 720 | |
| 696 | |
| Total St. Pancras births notified | 1,389 |
Six of these were still births, leaving a net figure of 1,383 live births notified during
the six months to 4th July, 1948.