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5
The birth-rate in the Borough—though much higher than that of the
whole of London—is the lowest on record.
It has been gradually declining, year by year—with one or two exceptions—since
1896.
The birth-rate is higher in the four Eastern Boroughs than in any of the
other Metropolitan Boroughs, with the exception of Bermondsey, and the birthrate
in this Borough is again the highest in London.
The birth-rate of St. George's is higher than that of the other three
districts, but is lower than in the preceding years.
The birth-rate of St. George's has been abnormally high for many years.
As I have shown in previous reports, this is due to a great extent to the
fact that slum areas have been cleared by private enterprise, and large
model dwellings have been erected instead. The latter have been occupied
by a different class of people to those that had been displaced. They
invariably consist of young families who have immigrated into that part of
the Borough. The larger the number of persons of the child-bearing period
n a district, the greater will be the number of children born, and the higher
will be the birth-rate.
As time goes on, these families will get beyond the child-bearing age
and the birth-rate will have a tendency year by year to decline, and approximate
more to the normal rate.
The birth-rate is not only lower in the Borough as a whole, but is lower
than in the previous year in each of the four districts.
210 births occurred in the London Hospital:—
56 belonged to Mile End Old Town.
24 belonged to St. George-in-the-East.
25 belonged to the Whitechapel District.
11 belonged to the Limehouse District.
94 belonged to outlying districts.
421 births occurred in the Mothers' Lying-in Home, Commercial
Road:—
79 belonged to Mile End Old Town.
59 belonged to St. George-in-the-East.
17 belonged to the Whitechapel District.
94 belonged to the Limehouse District.
172 belonged to outlying districts.