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91
NOTIFICATION OF BIRTHS ACT, 1907.
An abstract of this Act was given in your Medical Officer of Health's Annual
Report for 1907.
The Act is adoptive at the discretion of any Local Authority in the
United Kingdom. Its object is to ensure early notification of births to the
Medical Officer of Health in order, when the circumstances appear to require
it, that the mother may be advised in the nurture and rearing of the child in
the earlier stages of its existence. It provides that in the case of every child
born within the area, it shall be the duty of the father of the child, if he is
actually residing in the house where the birth takes place at the time of
its occurrence, and of any person in attendance upon the mother at the time
of or within thirty-six hours of the birth, to give notice in writing of the
birth to the Medical Officer of Health of the district in which the child is
born. The Act also provides for the notification of still-births.
This useful measure has been supplemented by the Children Act referred
to on p. 89. Both these provisions are the result of the movement for the
prevention of infantile mortality.
The Notification of Births Act was formally adopted by the Corporation on
28th November, 1907, and having duly received the consent of the Local
Government Board, came into force in the City on the 19th February, 1908.
Lists of all notifications of births received by your Medical Officer are
transmitted weekly to the London County Council in accordance with the
provisions of Sub-section (5) of Section 2 of the Act in a form prescribed by
the Local Government Board. When notification is made by a midwife, her
name and address are also added, and care is taken to ascertain whether she
is on the Midwives' Register.
Copy of a circular letter sent on 4th February, 1908, to medical men and
midwives practising in the City, is given in Appendix G, p. 209.
During the whole year, 277 births were registered in the City, the parents
being non-residents in 25 cases. Forty-nine of these births occurred in public
Institutions in the City. In cases where the parents were non-residents, the
births were reported to the Medical Officer of the district to which they
belonged.
Thirteen illegitimate births were registered during the year.*
From the date of the Act coming into operation in the City, viz., 19th
February, 1908, until the end of the year, 175 births of children whose parents
resided in the City were notified, including six still-births. Forty-eight other
notifications relating to children not belonging to the City were received
during the same period and forwarded to the Medical Officers of their
respective districts.
* See footnote on p. 17.