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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Deaths. In 1893, 90,364 deaths were registered in the administrative County of London, giving a death rate of 20.9 †per 1,000 of population. Since the year 1870 the London death rate has been as follows—
| 1871 | 24.6 | 1877 | 21.6 | 1883 | 20.8 | 1889 | 18.4 |
| 1872 | 21.5 | 1878 | 23.1 | 1884 | 20.9 | 1890 | 21.4 |
| 1873 | 22.4 | 1879 | 22.6 | 1885 | 20.4 | 1891 | 21.0† |
| 1874 | 22.4 | 1880 | 21.7 | 1886 | 20.6 | 1892 | 20.3† |
| 1875 | 23.6 | 1881 | 21.3 | 1887 | 20.3 | 1893 | 20.9† |
| 1876 | 21.9 | 1882 | 21.5 | 1888 | 19.3 |
The death rate, therefore, which had with slight exception been falling-from 1882 to 1889, has
during subsequent years shown a greater tendency to be maintained.
The death rate of each year since 1810, in relation to the mean of the period 1841-93 is shown
in the accompanying diagram (III.).
The following table enables comparison to be made between the death rates of London and the towns of England having populations of more than 200,000 persons, during the year 1893 and the ten preceding years—
| Population estimated to the middle of 1893. | Death rate per 1,000 living. | Population estimated to the middle of 1893. | Death rate per 1,000 living. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1883-92. | 1893. | 1883-92. | 1893. | ||||
| West Ham | 227,405 | 19.4 | 18.9 | ||||
| Manchester | 515,598 | 26.5 | 24.9 | Bristol | 225,028 | 19.5 | 18.9 |
| Liverpool | 510,514 | 26.0 | 27.3 | Bradford | 221,611 | 20.3 | 21.0 |
| Birmingham | 487,891 | 20.9 | 22.0 | Nottingham | 220,551 | 20.7 | 18.5 |
| Leeds | 382,093 | 21.9 | 22.3 | Hull | 208,709 | 20.3 | 21.8 |
| Sheflield | 333,922 | 22.2 | 22.3 | Salford | 203,431 | 24.9 | 24.1 |
The London death rate, therefore, in 1893, has been higher than the mean death rate of the
preceding ten years. The death rates of six of the other towns have shown an increase in 1893, and
of five a decrease.
Compared with the following ten foreign cities, London showed in 1893 a lower death rate than
the majority, and in the period 1883-92 the lowest death rate, as will be seen by the following
table—
All Causes. Death rates per 1,000 persons living.
| 1883-92. | 1893. | 1883-92. | 1893. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Petersburg | 30.1 | 30.6 | |||
| Paris | 23.7 | 21.8 | Berlin | 23.1 | 21.0 |
| Brussels | 21.9 | 19.8 | Vienna | 25.6 | 24.0 |
| Amsterdam | 23.3 | 18.6 | Rome | 25.2 | 22.3 |
| Copenhagen | 22.1 | 20.3 | New York | 25.8 | 23.9 |
| Stockholm | 21.6 | 19.2 |
In 1885 the Registrar-General began to distribute to the sanitary districts to which they belong
the deaths from all causes and from certain zymotic diseases occurring in institutions, and death rates
corrected in this sense can therefore be obtained for each of the years 1885-93. But for the purposes
of a more precise statement it is necessary to have regard to the age and sex distribution of the several
populations, and to correct each recorded death rate by the proper factor; the following table is thus
obtained.
* For the purposes of this table, London includes the Strand Union Workhouse, at Edmonton, the Holborn Union Workhouse,
at Mitcham, the City of London Asylum at Stone, and the Metropolitan Asylums and Hospitals situated, outside Registration London;
no correction in the death rate is, however, made by the exclusion of deaths of persons not belonging to London occurring in institution*
situated within the Registration County.
† These death rates are fully corrected for institutions, i.e., by the exclusion of deaths of persons not belonging to but occurring in
institutions situated within London, and by the inclusion of deaths of persons belonging to but occurring in institutions situated outside
London.