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 1899
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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7
This table shows that during the period 1891-9 compared with the decennium 1861-90 there
has been a mean annual saving of 4,095 lives, representing a mean annual saving of 172,763 years
of "life capital." In previous annual reports I have similarly dealt with the mortality figures of
the periods 1891-4, 1891-5, 1891-6, 1891-7 and 1891-8, and it is interesting to compare the results
obtained in the six periods, viz.—
| Periods compared with 1881-90. | Mean annual number of lives gained. | Mean annual amount of "life capital" gained. | Number of years of "life capital" gained to each life gained. |
|---|---|---|---|
| years. | years. | ||
| 1891-4 | 1,042 | 79,606 | 76.4 |
| 1891-5 | 1,304 | 85,519 | 65.6 |
| 1891-6 | 2,461 | 104,742 | 42.6 |
| 1891-7 | 3,587 | 142,460 | 39.7 |
| 1891-8 | 4,161 | 161,331 | 38.8 |
| 1891-9 | 4,095 | 172,763 | 42.2 |
It will be seen from this table that the number of lives gained per annum has increased
in each period up to 1891-8, the figures for 1891-9 showing a slight decline; on the other hand the
proportion of "life capital" gained to each life gained decreases in each period up to 1891-8, and
in the period 1891-9 has increased. In my annual report for the year 1897 I discussed the cause of
these variations in some detail and published an analysis of the mortality figures for the period
1891-4 and succeeding years.
The following tables (IV., V. and VI.) are constructed on lines similar to those published in
my last annual report, with the addition of the figures for 1899. Bearing in mind the fact that
the amount of "life capital" saved is not proportionate to the number of lives saved, but is
dependent also upon the ages of the lives saved, these tables furnish the material for estimating
the effect of the successive addition of the figures relating to the years 1895, 1896, 1897, 1898 and
1899, to those of the period 1891-4,* and the variations in the proportion of life capital gained to
each life gained in the periods 1891-5, 1891-6, 1891-7, 1891-8 and 1891-9, shown in Table III. can
thus be more clearly appreciated.
| Age-period. | Death rates per 1,000 living. | Increase or decrease per cent. (compared with death rates in 1881-90). | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1891-4. | 1895. | 1896. | 1897. | 1898. | 1899. | 1891-4. | 1895. | 1896. | 1897. | 1898. | 1899. | |
| All ages | 21.53 | 21.00 | 19.90 | 19.58 | 20.05 | 21.09 | - 2.6 | - 5.0 | - 10.0 | - 11.4 | - 9.3 | - 4.6 |
| 0- | 70.87 | 72.72 | 71.30 | 65.63 | 68.95 | 66.38 | - 3.0 | - 0.5 | - 2.4 | - 10.2 | - 5.7 | - 9.2 |
| 5- | 5.46 | 4.51 | 5.47 | 4.37 | 4.16 | 4.16 | - 7.9 | - 23.9 | - 7.8 | - 26.3 | - 29.8 | - 29.8 |
| 10- | 2.63 | 2.52 | 2.43 | 2.47 | 2.01 | 2.46 | - 9.9 | - 13.7 | - 16.8 | - 15.4 | - 31.2 | - 15.8 |
| 15- | 3.90 | 3.39 | 3.39 | 3.38 | 3.17 | 3.61 | - 3.7 | - 16.3 | - 16.3 | - 16.5 | - 21.7 | - 10.9 |
| 20- | 5.06 | 4.67 | 4.59 | 4.66 | 4.71 | 5.23 | - 7.0 | - 14.2 | - 15.6 | - 14.3 | - 13.4 | - 3.9 |
| 25- | 8.08 | 7.59 | 6.94 | 7.03 | 7.20 | 7.91 | - 6.6 | - 12.3 | - 19.8 | - 18.7 | - 16.8 | - 8.6 |
| 35- | 15.23 | 13.45 | 12.99 | 14.07 | 13.71 | 15.45 | + 1.8 | - 10.1 | - 13.2 | - 5.9 | - 8.4 | + 3.3 |
| 45- | 24.61 | 23.21 | 20.86 | 22.54 | 22.48 | 25.11 | + 3.1 | - 2.8 | - 12.6 | - 5.6 | - 5.8 | + 5.2 |
| 55- | 43.15 | 41.87 | 37.10 | 39.87 | 41.74 | 45.61 | + 4.4 | + 1.3 | - 10.2 | - 3.5 | + 1.0 | + 10.4 |
| 65- | 80.58 | 76.92 | 67.15 | 67.90 | 68.16 | 79.35 | + 3.3 | - 1.3 | - 13.9 | - 12.9 | - 12.6 | + 1.8 |
| 75- | 156.05 | 160.08 | 143.38 | 148.83 | 155.96 | 175.59 | + 0.1 | + 2.7 | - 8.0 | - 4.6 | + 0.0 | + 12.6 |
| 85 and upwards | 288.41 | 288.99 | 232.81 | 256.25 | 269.35 | 334.97 | - 3.1 | - 2.9 | - 21.8 | - 13.9 | - 9.5 | + 12.5 |
| Age-period. | Death rates per 1,000 living. | Increase or decrease per cent. (compared with death rates in 1881-90). | ||||||||||
| 1891-4. | 1895. | 1896. | 1897. | 1898. | 1899. | 1891-4. | 1895. | 1896. | 1897. | 1898. | 1899. | |
| 18.46 | 18.23 | 16.83 | 16.27 | 16.80 | 17.82 | - 20 | - 3.2 | - 10.6 | - 13.6 | - 10.8 | - 5.4 | |
| 0- | 60.96 | 62.10 | 62.07 | 55.69 | 58.78 | 55.63 | - 3.6 | - 1.8 | - 1.9 | - 12.0 | - 7.1 | - 12.1 |
| 5- | 5.72 | 4.79 | 5.36 | 4.58 | 4.08 | 4.37 | - 1.7 | - 17.7 | - 7.9 | - 21.3 | - 29.9 | - 24.9 |
| 10- | 2.66 | 2.57 | 2.42 | 2.25 | 212 | 2.47 | - 8.0 | - Ill | - 16.3 | - 221 | - 26.6 | - 14.5 |
| 15- | 3.32 | 2.94 | 2.82 | 2.77 | 2.63 | 293 | - 7.3 | - 17.9 | - 21.2 | - 22.6 | - 26.5 | - 18.2 |
| 20- | 4.01 | 3.72 | 313 | 316 | 314 | 3.36 | - 8.9 | - 15.5 | - 28.9 | - 28.2 | - 28.6 | - 23.6 |
| 25- | 6.33 | 5.77 | 5.41 | 5.30 | 5.26 | 560 | - 7.2 | - 15.4 | - 20.7 | - 22.3 | - 22.9 | - 17.9 |
| 35- | 11.41 | 10.59 | 10.41 | 10.40 | 994 | 11.30 | - 0.1 | - 7.3 | - 8.8 | - 8.9 | - 13.0 | - 1.1 |
| 45- | 17.53 | 17.03 | 15.34 | 15.86 | 16.59 | 18.91 | + 1.7 | - 1.2 | - 11.0 | - 8.0 | - 3.7 | + 9.8 |
| 55- | 32.44 | 31.83 | 26.83 | 27.51 | 2905 | 33.54 | + 5.4 | + 3.4 | - 12.8 | - 10.6 | - 5.6 | + 9.0 |
| 65- | 65.80 | 64.13 | 50.17 | 52.93 | 55.55 | 62.93 | + 4.0 | + 13 | - 20.7 | - L6.4 | - 12.2 | - 0.6 |
| 75- | 136.60 | 146.18 | 117.59 | 123.15 | 132.23 | 155.17 | + 1.7 | + 8.9 | - 12.4 | - 8.3 | - 1.5 | + 15.6 |
| 85 and upwards | 260.67 | 278.84 | 231.82 | 262.79 | 254.14 | 303.79 | - 1.5 | + 5.3 | - 12.4 | - 0.7 | - 4.0 | + 14.7 |
* It skould be po'nted out that all figures relating to the period 1891-1 are mean annual.