London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
London County Council 1953
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
This page requires JavaScript
7
LIVE BIRTH RATE IN ENGLAND AND WALES
AND LONDON (A.C.) 1933-1953
PER 1,000 TOTAL POPULATION
ENGLAND AND WALES LONDON (A.C.)
There were 3,614 illegitimate live births (7.1 per cent. of the total live births). The Illegitimacy
percentages in recent years were :
| Year | London A.C. | 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 |
| 1952 | 6.9 | 4.8 |
| 1953 | 7.1 | 4.7 |
As was stated in the Annual Report for 1952 it is doubtful if the true illegitimate
fertility rate in London is as high as would appear from the crude figures because of the
natural desire of the unmarried mother to bear her child in the anonymity of a large city
and to take advantage of the facilities available therein. Such births are allocated to
London and consequently increase both its illegitimate and total fertility rates.
Deaths under one year among illegitimate infants amounted to 36 per 1,000 illegitimate
live births compared with a rate of 23 for legitimate births. The corresponding
rates for 1952 were 33 and 22, respectively. A detailed comparison of deaths in both
groups is given in Table 6 (page 149).