London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Finchley 1913
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Finchley]
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37
The notification of births are compared with the weekly
return of births which are sent by the local Registrar. When
it is found that a birth has not been notified a letter is sent to
the parents calling their attention to the omission and warning
them of their liability. 216 such letters were sent during
the year 1913, and 151 during 1912.
The reasons given for omitting to notify were as follows:—
| Ignorance of the Act | 119 |
| Thought someone else had notified | 52 |
| Quite overlooked it | 17 |
| No reason given | 12 |
| No reply to letter (removals) | 6 |
| Outstanding at end of year | 10 |
The following shews how the Act has been observed
during the year:—
Birth Notifications, 191.3
Number of births registered in district—918.
| No. of Parents who notified | No. of Doctors who notified | No of Cert-. Nurses who notified | No of other people who notified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before letter— 422 | |||
| After letter — 200 | 241 | 9 | 10 |
| Total 622 | |||
| Total number who notified—882 | |||
Number of people who notified without a letter—682
= 74.1 per cent. of all births (last year 82.4 per cent. were
notified). Number of letters sent, 216.
The Health Visitor usually makes her call about 10 days
after the birth of a child; in this way I find that all friction
is avoided, as by that time the midwife has usually ceased
her attendance, and there is no complaint of interference.
Enquiry is made as to the methods of feeding, etc., and a