View report page

70
the past quarter of a century, amounting to approximately four
maternal deaths in every 1,000, without taking- account of tinamount
of injury, disability and subsequent illhealth resulting from
child bearing. It is satisfactory to note the increasing inteiesi
taken respecting this problem, with which is so closely allied the
one feature of infant welfare in which very little orogress has
hitherto been made, viz., deaths due to ante-natal conditions and
occuring during the first month of life, and where disease of the
mother has been variously estimated as being responsible for the
occurrence in some 50 per cent, of cases.
BIRTHS.
The birth rate is calculated on the number of births registered
per 1,000 population and during 1925 was 21.4 compared with 18.3
for England and Wales, the lowest figure yet recorded for the
country as a whole.
Attention was directed to the main causes of our falling
Birth Rate in the opening paragraphs of this Section of my Report.
Of (he total births recorded, 23 or 2.7 per cent, were illegitimate
compared with 2.3 per cent, in 1924 Primary visits were
paid to 829 of the total births during the year.
STILL-BIRTHS.
Of the total notifications received under the Notification of
Births Act, still-births formed 3.2 per cent., compared with 1.5
per cent, in 1924: and 2.6 in 1923. The actual number of still
births notified for the year was 28, of which 20 were attended by
midwives. Of these 3 referred to non-residents, while 2 Barking
women had still births outside the district in addition to the 28
which occurred in the district.