London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
London County Council 1893
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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Administrative County of London
REPORT OF THE MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH
1893.
In presenting a report for the year 1898, it is necessary to point out that the time at which an
annual report on the health of London can be prepared is dependent on the date at which the reports
of the medical officers of health of the several sanitary districts are received by the Council. Some
of these reports have been received as early as March, 1894, but others again not till the latter part or
close of that year. It may be hoped that the earlier receipt of the reports relating to the latter
districts will in future years enable a report for the total area of London to be presented to the Council
with less delay.
STATISTICS.
Population.
The population of the Administrative County of London, estimated to the middle of 1893, was
4,327,196, the estimate being in the main based on the assumption that the rate of increase between
the censas years 1881 and 1891 has been since maintained.
The estimated population of each of the forty-one sanitary districts comprised in the administrative county is shown in the following table—
| Estimated population. 1893. | Estimated population. 1893. | Estimated population, 1893. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paddington | St. Giles | St. Saviour, Southwark | |||
| Kensington | St. Martin-in-the-Fields | St. George, Southwark | |||
| Hammersmith | Strand | Newington | |||
| Fulham | Holborn | St. Olave, Southwark | |||
| Chelsea | Clerkenwell | Bermondsey | |||
| St. George, Hanover-square | St. Luke | Rotherhithe | |||
| City of London | Lambeth | ||||
| Westminster | Shoreditch | Battersea | |||
| St. James, Westminster | Bethnal-green | Wandsworth | |||
| Marylebone | Whitechapel | Camberwell | |||
| Hampstead | St. George-in-the-East | Greenwich | |||
| St. Pancras | Limehouse | Lewisham | |||
| Islington | Mile-end Old-town | Woolwich | |||
| Hackney | Poplar ... | Plumstead |
Marriages. There were 37,016 marriages in the Registration County of London giving an annual marriage rate of 172 per 1,000 living, the mean marriage rate of the preceding ten years having been 17.4. The marriage rate since 1870 has been as follows—
| 1871 | 19.5 | 1877 | 18.7 | 1888 | 18.1 | 1889 | 17.1 |
| 1872 | 19.9 | 1878 | 18.5 | 1884 | 17.9 | 1890 | 17.6 |
| 1873 | 19.8 | 1879 | 18.0 | 1885 | 17.4 | 1891 | 17.7 |
| 1874 | 19.4 | 1880 | 18.1 | 1886 | 17.2 | 1892 | 17.4 |
| 1875 | 19.6 | 1881 | 18.1 | 1887 | 16.9 | 1893 | 17.2 |
| 1876 | 19.2 | 1882 | 18.4 | 1888 | 16.9 |
The accompanying diagram (I.) shows the London marriage rate in each year since 1850 in
relation to the mean of the period, 1851-93.
In 1893, 4'7 per cent. of the men and 16.8 per cent, of the women married were under 21
years of age. The proportions in preceding periods are shown in the following table ; the proportions
in England are also given for the purpose of comparison.
| London. | England. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men. | Women. | Men. | Women. | |
| 1851-60 | 2.77 | 11.95 | 5.70 | 17.99 |
| 1861-70 | 3.56 | 14.56 | 6.82 | 20.37 |
| 1871-80 | 4.71 | 16.90 | 7.96 | 22.03 |
| 1881-90 | 5.53 | 18.91 | 6.81 | 20.75 |
| 1891 | 4.86 | 17.45 | 5.90 | 19.01 |
| 1892 | 5.15 | 17.67 | 5.87 | 18.76 |
While, therefore, in every 100 marriages, both in London and England, there had been antecedent
to 1881-90 an increase in the proportion of male and female minors married, in 1881-90 this
proportion had in London continued to increase, but in England had decreased. The results of the