Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Report on the sanitary condition of the Hackney District for the year 1888
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consequently greater mortality, especially of young children,
amongst those classes. There were also comparatively fewer
servants in 1861-70 than in 1851-60, which is the class amongst
whom the lowest mortality prevails. The death rates for these
years were 19.1 per 1,000 population in 1851-60 ; 20.4 in
1861-70; 19.6 in 1871-80; and only 17.4 in 1881-88. This
reduction since 1861-70 is very striking, but it must not be
entirely placed to sanitation, as other causes have been in
operation to produce this result.
TABLE X.
Hackney.—Number of Deaths at Different Age Periods to 1,000 Deaths at all Ages, 1851-88.
Years. | 0 5 | 6 15 | 15 25 | 25 35 | 35 45 | 45 55 | 55 65 | 65 75 | 75 85 | 85 | All Ages. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1851-60 | 359 | 63 | 48 | 65 | 72 | 73 | 84 | 105 | 87 | 44 | 1000 |
1861-70 | 394 | 56 | 51 | 69 | 71 | 74 | 83 | 103 | 78 | 21 | 1000 |
1871-80 | 407 | 48 | 53 | 67 | 74 | 75 | 85 | 96 | 75 | 20 | 1000 |
1881-88 | 414 | 52 | 47 | 58 | 69 | 76 | 88 | 103 | 74 | 19 | 1000 |
The per centages of deaths at different ages to total deaths in
this period of 1850-88, taken by themselves, do not indicate
any very great improvement, as the proportionate mortality at
the age period of 0-5, that is to say during the first five years of
life, has increased in each decennium since 1851-60, and it is
only by a reference to the Census that we obtain an explanation
of the apparent riddle. We see that out of each 1,000 deaths
from all causes and at all ages, 359 occurred at 0-5 years in 185160,
394 in 1861-70, 407 in 1871-80, and 414 in 1881-88. At the
age period of 5-15 the numbers were as follows:—63 in 1851-60,
56 in 1861-70, 48 in 1871-80, and 52 in 1881-80, so that the
largest mortality at 5-15, as might have been expected, occurred
in 1851-60, when the proportionate mortality at 0-5 was lowest.
The results for each decennium above 15 is scarcely marked
sufficiently to continue the discussion of this table, and I will