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8
(b) Notifications. The Notification of Births Act, 1907, which came into
force in the Borough on the 15th June, 1908, has continued to work smoothly
during 1909. The total number of notifications received within the time named
in the Act (36 hours of the birth) was 3,224, or 94.24 per cent, of the total—3421
All persons failing to notify, whose names and addresses were revealed by the
returns of the district registrars, were either visited or written to and requested
to give an explanation of the failure to comply with the requirements of the
Act. In practically all cases the reason given was ignorance of the existence of
the Act and of the fact of its adoption by the Borough Council. It is believed
that as a result of the work during 1909, the visits by women inspectors and the
reminder letters sent out, great improvement will be noted in the future in
connection with notifications under the Act, large numbers of persons having
been made aware of the requirement to notify.
The Public Health Committee having instructed the Medical Officer of
Health to endeavour by other means to make known the existence of the Act in
the Borough, no prosecutions were instituted during the year against persons
failing to comply with its provisions.
The following are the sources of the notifications received during the
year:—
From Parents 386 or 11.28 percent.
„ Doctors 400 or 11.69 „
„ Midwives 696 or 20.34 „
„ Other persons 35 or 102 „
„ Hospitals,etc. 1904 or 55.68 „
Of the total births notified, 39 referred to still-births (17 males and 22
females); 1,718 took place at Queen Charlotte's Hospital, and 207 at the
Middlesex Hospital; 1,452 were born at home, and 35 were born in other
Boroughs. Of those notified as having occurred in St. Marylebone, 1498
belonged to other Boroughs.
DEATHS AND DEATH RATES.
Deaths to the number of 1,849 were registered during the year. This figure
is inclusive of persons who, though normally resident in the Borough, died in
institutions, etc., outside, but exclusive of persons who, though they died in
St. Marylebone, were ordinarily residents in other districts. The death rate
calculated with this figure and the estimated population to the middle of 1909
and corrected for age and sex distribution by multiplying by the RegistrarGeneral's
factor 1.0652, works out at 1 5.4 per 1,000.