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9
Legitimate and Illegitimate Births and Birth Rate.
Of the total 1,028 net births belonging to Hampstead, 937 were
those of legitimate and 91 of illegitimate children, the latter being at
the rate of 89 per 1,000 births. 36 of the Hampstead illegitimate
infants were born outside the Borough, chiefly in Lying-in Institutions.
Notification of Births Act, 1907.
All births occurring in the Borough, whether the mother is a
Hampstead resident or not, must be notified to the Medical Officer of
Health within 36 hours. This is in addition to registration with the
Registrar of Births.
The following statement shows the source of information, etc., of
the births notified during the year. As live births have to be notified
much sooner than they are registered, the number notified differs from
the number registered.
Notified within
36 hours.
Notified after
36 hours.
Total Notified.
Live
Births.
Still
Births.
Live
Births.
Still
Births.
Live
Births.
Still
Births.
Notified by midwives 582 9 — — 582 9
,, parents 93 — 63 — 156 —
„ doctors 374 10 — — 374 10
„ nurses and others 212 5 — — 212 5
1261 24 63 — 1324 24
Still Births.
By the Births and Deaths Registration Act, 1926, which came into
operation on 1st June, 1927, it is required that all still-born children
(defined in the Act as any child born after the 28th week of pregnancy)
shall be duly registered with the Registrar of Births in addition to
being notified to the Medical Officer of Health, and it is further
provided that it shall not be lawful for the bodies of such infants to be
buried before a certificate is issued by the Registrar, or, if there has been
an inquest, an order of the Coroner. From 1st July to the end of the
year, 11 still births were registered with the Registrar of Births.
In pursuance of the requirements of the Notification of Births Act,
1907, 24 still births were notified to me during the year. Of these, in
8 cases, the mother's home address was not in Hampstead; while 11
still births of Hampstead mothers took place outside the district. The
net still births belonging to Hampstead was, therefore, 27.