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 1897
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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Births. The number of births registered in the Administrative County of London in 1897 was 134,111, giving a birth rate per annum of 30.0 per 1,000 persons living. The birth rate since 1870 has been as follows-
| 1871 | 34.5 | 1878 | 35.5 | 1885 | 33.4 | 1892 | 30.9* |
| 1872 | 35.6 | 1879 | 35.5 | 1886 | 33.4 | 1893 | 31.0* |
| 1873 | 35.3 | 1880 | 35.3 | 1887 | 32.9 | 1894 | 30.1* |
| 1874 | 35.6 | 1881 | 34.7 | 1888 | 32.1 | 1895 | 30.6* |
| 1875 | 35.4 | 1882 | 34.5 | 1889 | 31.9 | 1896 | 30.2* |
| 1876 | 35.9 | 1883 | 34.5 | 1890 | 30.7 | 1897 | 30.0* |
| 1877 | 35.6 | 1884 | 34.3 | 1891 | 31.8* | ||
| The corresponding figures for England and Wales are as follows- | |||||||
| 1871 | 35.0 | 1878 | 35.6 | 1885 | 32.9 | 1891 | 31.4 |
| 1872 | 35.6 | 1879 | 34.7 | 1886 | 32.8 | 1892 | 30.5 |
| 1873 | 35.4 | 1880 | 34.2 | 1887 | 31.9 | 1893 | 30.8 |
| 1874 | 36.0 | 1881 | 33.9 | 1888 | 31.2 | 1894 | 29.6 |
| 1875 | 35.4 | 1882 | 33.8 | 1889 | 31.1 | 1895 | 30.4 |
| 1876 | 36.3 | 1883 | 33.5 | 1890 | 30.2 | 1896 | 29.7 |
| 1877 | 36.0 | 1884 | 33.6 | ||||
The accompanying diagram (II.) shows the London birth rate in each year in relation to the
mean of the period 1851-97.
During the year the eastern group of districts had the highest birth rate (36.9); the western
the lowest (25.5); the southern, central, and northern groups having birth rates respectively of 311,
28.4, and 28.5. As in the preceding year, the district having the highest birth rate was St. Luke
(45.2), and the district having the lowest birth rate was St. Martin-in-the-Fields (13.3).
The following table shows the birth rate in each district in 1897, calculated per 1,000 population and per 100 females aged 15-45 years.
| Sanitary district. | Births. | Birth rate per 1,000 living. | Births per 100 females aged 15-45. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paddington | 3,018 | 24.0 | 7.2 |
| Kensington | 3,683 | 21.5 | 6.1 |
| Hammersmith | 3,139 | 29.7 | 11.0 |
| Fulham | 4,106 | 34.3 | 13.2 |
| †Chelsea | 2,549 | 26.4 | 9.8 |
| St. George, Hanover-square | 1,369 | 17.1 | 4.9 |
| Westminster | 1,237 | 23.4 | 8.8 |
| St. James | 459 | 20.4 | 7.0 |
| †Marylebone | 4,135 | 29.5 | 9.4 |
| Hampstead | 1,479 | 19.2 | 5.3 |
| Pancras | 7,017 | 29.0 | 11.2 |
| Islington | 9,845 | 28.9 | 11.0 |
| Stoke Newington | 835 | 24.5 | 8.1 |
| Hackney | 6,312 | 29.2 | 11.0 |
| †St. Giles | 981 | 26.0 | 9.2 |
| St. Martin.in-the-Fields | 169 | 13.3 | 4.6 |
| Strand | 570 | 24.3 | 8.9 |
| Holborn | 781 | 25.7 | 10.2 |
| Clerkenwell | 2,092 | 31.7 | 13.0 |
| †St. Luke | 1,860 | 45.2 | 18.7 |
| London, City of | 478 | 15.9 | 6.0 |
| Shoreditch | 4,314 | 35.5 | 15.0 |
| Bethnal-green | 4,818 | 37.4 | 16.2 |
| Whitechapel | 3,150 | 39.6 | 16.9 |
| St. George-in-the-East | 2,029 | 42.5 | 18.6 |
| Limehouse | 1,997 | 34.2 | 15.3 |
| †Mile-end Old-town | 4,257 | 38.2 | 16.1 |
| Poplar | 5,849 | 34.5 | 15.7 |
| St. Saviour, Southwark | 769 | 30.9 | 14.0 |
| St. George, Southwark | 2,114 | 35.1 | 14.8 |
| Newington | 4,248 | 34.9 | 14.8 |
| St. Olave | 434 | 37.9 | 16.1 |
| Bermondsey | 3,176 | 37.2 | 16.5 |
| Rotherhithe | 1,258 | 31.0 | 14.6 |
| †Lambeth | 9,388 | 31.4 | 12.1 |
| Battersea | 5,266 | 31.3 | 13.1 |
| Wandsworth | 5,042 | 25.8 | 8.9 |
| Camberwell | 7,483 | 29.1 | 11.6 |
| Greenwich | 5,563 | 31.3 | 13.0 |
| Lewisham | 2,679 | 24.9 | 8.5 |
| Woolwich | 1,307 | 31.7 | 15.7 |
| Lee | 881 | 22.5 | 7.4 |
| Plumstead | 1,975 | 32.4 | 14.5 |
| *The rates for these years relate to the Administrative County of London, the rates shown for years previous to 1891 relate to the Registration County of London. | |||
| †Lying-in hospitals are situated in these districts. | |||