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19
Notification of Births Act.
During 1922, the number of notifications of live births received
was 3,548. The corrected number of registered births belonging
to Battersea was 3,665. The proportion of notified to registered
births was therefore 96.8 per cent. as compared with 95.3 per
cent. in 1921.
There were 630 (or 17.4 per cent.) of the notifications, including
still-births, made by medical practitioners, 1,899 (or 52.3 per cent.)
by midwives, and 1,102 (or 30.3 per cent.) by other persons.
The number of still-births notified during the year was 83,
(or 2.3 per cent.) of the corrected total births registered. In 1921,
the number of still-births notified was 88 (or 2.4 per cent.) of the
total births.
The notified births are visited by the Council's Official Health
Visitors and by the Health Visitors of the Voluntary Organisations
linked up with the Council's Comprehensive Maternity and Child
Welfare Scheme. Records are kept on a card-index, setting forth
the particulars of all notified births visited. Advice is given as
to the care and management of the infants, and special efforts are
directed towards the encouragement of breast-feeding. The
mothers are also invited to bring their babies to the various Maternity
and Child Welfare Centres in the Borough, and a very considerable
proportion of the mothers readily avail themselves of the
opportunities afforded them of keeping their infants under continuous
supervision by the Medical Officers and trained Health
Visitors. Weights are periodically recorded and any ailments
noted are attended to by the doctor or referred to hospital for
such treatment as may be required.
Returns of all births registered in Battersea are received
weekly from the District Registrars, and these returns serve to
check the notified births returns.
A weekly return of all births notified in the Borough is submitted
by the London County Council in accordance with the
requirements of Sec. 5, Sub-section (2) of the Notification of Births
Act.
Particulars relating to transferable births registered are
supplied by the Registrar-General for the purpose of adjusting
and correcting the birth statistics of the Borough in the periodical
and Annual Reports of the Medical Officer of Health.
Maternity and Child Welfare.
The Maternity and Child Welfare Scheme, the revision and
development of which, under the provisions of the Maternity and
Child Welfare Act, 1918, was begun early in 1919, continued to
make progress during the year. Much useful work was done,
especially in connection with the Ante-Natal side of the scheme,
the Maternity Home and District Midwifery Service, Dental Clinic,