[Report 1919] / Medical Officer of Health, Torquay Borough.

  • Torquay (England). Borough Council.
Date:
1919
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1919] / Medical Officer of Health, Torquay Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    13/60 (page 13)
    The birth-rate for the Borough is equal 15 2 per 1,000 per annum, against 1*20 in 1918. The rate for England and Wales during 1919 was 18 5 per 1,000 and that for the 148 smaller towns (census population 20,000 to 50,000J 18 3. The following table gives the total births and birth-rate for the past ten years compared with those for England and Wales. Years. Number of Births. Torquay Birth Rate, per 1,000 living. England & Wales Birth Rate, per 1,000 living. 1910 539 14T 24-8 1911 536 138 24-4 1912 569 14-5 23-8 1913 535 13-6 239 1914 542 13-7 236 1915 490 12-4 219 1916 459 13-3 21*6 1917 401 11-7 17-8 1918 412 12-0 177 1919 53] 15-2 185 It will thus be seen that the birth-rate is the highest recorded since 1909. This may possibly be due to the termination of the war, but the presence of many New Zealand Soldiers and their wives sent to the Discharge Depdt here, is also a factor in the increase. In comparing the birth-rate of such a town as Torquay with other districts, it is necessary to consider the constitution of the population. Here we have a large excess of females over males, a large proportion of the females are spinsters, and some 40% are either above or below the child-bearing age. In the face of such facts, it is unreasonable to expect anything but a low birth-rate. The notification of Births Act was adopted in 1915. This Act requires that the Medical Officer of Health shall be informed of every birth within 36 hours of its occurrence, this includes still-births occurring after the expiration of twenty-eight weeks of pregnancy. VACCINATION. Through the courtesy of Mr. Edwards, the Vaccination Officer, I am able to give the results of primary vaccination for the years from 1898 to 1918.