MacFarlane A
Br Med J. 1978 Dec 16;2(6153):1670-3. doi: 10.1136/bmj.2.6153.1670.
Analysis of the births that occurred in England and Wales during 1970-6 showed that they followed a seven-day cycle, being concentrated from Tuesdays to Fridays and least numerous on Sundays. This pattern became increasingly pronounced during the period examined. Relatively few births occurred on bank holidays, especially Christmas Day and Boxing Day. In general perinatal mortality was higher among babies born at weekends than among those born on weekdays. It is likely that the pattern seen in the numbers of births is associated to a large extent with elective intervention. It is not possible to draw any conclusions about the pattern seen in perinatal mortality as so far the analysis has been confined to crude rates.
对1970年至1976年期间在英格兰和威尔士发生的出生情况进行分析后发现,这些出生情况呈现出七天的周期,集中在周二至周五,而在周日数量最少。在所研究的时期内,这种模式变得越来越明显。在银行假日出生的婴儿相对较少,尤其是在圣诞节和节礼日。一般来说,周末出生的婴儿围产期死亡率高于工作日出生的婴儿。出生数量呈现的这种模式很可能在很大程度上与选择性干预有关。由于迄今为止的分析仅限于粗率,因此无法就围产期死亡率呈现的模式得出任何结论。