Observations on illegitimacy in the London parishes of St. Marylebone, St. Pancras, and St. George's, Southwark, during the year 1857 : deduced from the returns of the Registrar-General / by William Acton.

  • Acton, William, 1813-1875.
Date:
[1859]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Observations on illegitimacy in the London parishes of St. Marylebone, St. Pancras, and St. George's, Southwark, during the year 1857 : deduced from the returns of the Registrar-General / by William Acton. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    •ora the Jour al of the Statistical Society of London, for December, 1859. BSEEVATIONS On ILLEGITIMACY m the LONDON PaEISHES of St. Maeylebone, St. Pancbas, and St. Geoege’s, South- wark, during the Yeae 1857; deduced from the Returns of the Registrar-General. By William Acton, Member of the Royal College of Surgeons, and Fellow of the Medico-Chirurgical and Statistical Societies. [Read before the Statistical Society of London, 17th May, 1859.] ;ieee are questions, and illegitimacy is one of them, from the con- deration of which—whatever of disagreeable or repulsive the task ay involve—the advocates of social progress must no longer shrink. Social evils claim, as urgently, to be investigated and discussed as •ysical plague spots. It is conceded on all hands, even in what is -’med “Society,5’ that society itself, moved by public opinion, must <te action against these evils if it be desirable to remedy them, eciety has resolved upon abandoning the fictitious delicacy that was ece a false film before its eyes and a lying curb upon its honest aigue, and no longer ignores them. I need hardly, therefore, ologize for introducing the subject of illegitimacy to the notice a body whose self-imposed task and duty is the careful collection what I may fairly call the raw material of truths. No social evil )rre constantly and obtrusively presents itself before us than i. legitimacy, yet curiously enough it has no literature. I have Iked through the lately published catalogue of our library, and -ed to find mention of the word. With the exception of some books relative to Foundling Hospitals, I experience the same mtiful lack of information when I consult the libraries of the ;>yal College of Surgeons and of the Eoyal Medico-Chirurgical isiety. I would fain hope, however, that in future this subject will upy its fair share of the attention of Statisticians, particularly E3n I state that in the year 1856, according to the Eegistrar- itieral’s statistics, 42,651 illegitimate children were born in England Wales ; while in Scotland no less than 2,761 of them came into world during 1858. The following deductions are drawn from the unpublished returns ;he Registrar-General. At my solicitation, Major Graham has, i his welbknown good feeling, and I fear at considerable trouble iis stafi', forwarded me an amended copy of the notes returned to department, relating to the deaths of children under five years age, being the offsprings of unmarried women during the year '7. In this table, I find fully detailed the sex of each infant, its at death ; the occupation of the mother; the immediate