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
London County Council 1951
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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7
LIVE BIRTH RATE IN ENGLAND AND WALES
AND LONDON (A.C.) 1931-1951
PER 1,000 TOTAL POPULATION
ENGLAND AND WALES LONDON (A.C.)
There were 3,597 illegitimate live births (6.9 per cent. of the total live births). Illegitimacy The percentages in recent years are :—
| Year | London | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| 1938-42 | 6.6 | 4.7 |
| 1943 | 8.2 | 6.3 |
| 1944 | 9.3 | 7.2 |
| 1945 | 11.4 | 9.4 |
| 1946 | 8.0 | 6.7 |
| 1947 | 6.7 | 5.3 |
| 1948 | 7.0 | 5.4 |
| 1949 | 6.9 | 5.1 |
| 1950 | 7. 0 | 5.1 |
| 1951 | 6.9 | 4.7 |
The peak of the war-time rise occurred in 1945, with a rapid reduction after the
end of hostilities. The percentage for 1951 taken together with those for the two
preceding years indicates that the rate is now fairly stable.
Still-births
Deaths under one year among illegitimate infants amounted to 35 per 1,000
illegitimate live births compared with a rate of 25 for legitimate births. The
corresponding rates in 1950 were 38 and 25 respectively. A detailed comparison of
deaths in the legitimate and illegitimate groups is given in Table 6 (page 145).
There were 1,073 still-births in 1951 or 20.1 per 1,000 of all births (legitimate
19.3, illegitimate 29.9). The number of still-births and the rate per 1,000 total births
in each year since 1931 is shown in Table 5 (page 144), from which it will be seen that
after remaining stable for many years the still-birth rate fell sharply in 1943 and