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 1909
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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Natural Increase Rates.—London and England and Wales.
| Period. | Mean of annual birth-rates per 1,000 living. | Mean of annual death-rates per 1,000 living. | Mean of annual rate of natural increase per 1,000 living. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London. | England and Wales. | London. | England and Wales. | London | England and Wales. | |
| 1876-1880 | 35.55 | 35.35 | 22.17 | 20.79 | 13.38 | 14.56 |
| 1881-1885 | 34.29 | 33.51 | 20.95 | 19.40 | 13.34 | 14.11 |
| 1886-1890 | 32.10 | 31.44 | 19.69 | 18.89 | 12.41 | 12.55 |
| 1891-1895 | 30.761 | 30.48 | 19.822 | 18.71 | 10.94 | 11.77 |
| 1896-1900 | 29.663 | 29.27 | 18.512 | 17.69 | 11.15 | 11.58 |
| 1901-1905 | 28.064 | 28.10 | 16.132 | 16.00 | 11.93 | 1210 |
| 1906 | 26.521 | 27.07 | 15.112 | 15.38 | 11.41 | 11.69 |
| 1907 | 25*59' | 26.27 | 14.602 | 15.00 | 10.99 | 11.27 |
| 1908 | 25.211 | 26.53 | 13.822 | 14.68 | 11.39 | 11.85 |
| 1909 | 24.181 | 25.58 | 14.03 | 14.49 | 10.15 | 11.09 |
The rate of natural increase prior to 1876 is probably understated owing to the fact that the
registration of births was not made compulsory until the beginning of 1875.
The following table enables comparison to be made of the rates of natural increase of the London
population with those of the principal towns of England. It will be observed that in 1909 the rates
are below those of the quinquennium 1904.8 in all towns except Hull:—
| Town. | 1904.8. | 1909. | Town. | 1904.8. | 1909. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 11.3 | 10.2 | Bradford | 5.0 | 4.3 |
| Liverpool | 12.4 | 12.1 | West Ham | 15.1 | 13.2 |
| Manchester | 10.6 | 9.9 | Newcastle.on.Tyne | 13.5 | 12.5 |
| Birmingham | 12.4 | 11.2 | Hull | 13.2 | 14.5 |
| Leeds | 10.3 | 8.7 | Nottingham | 10.2 | 9.4 |
| Sheffield | 14.0 | 13.1 | Salford | 11.9 | 9.9 |
| Bristol | 11.1 | 9.9 | Leicester | 11.3 | 9.0 |
The factors affecting the rates of natural increase in different localities to which reference is
made above, probably tend more to vitiate accurate comparison when the populations concerned are
of different nationalities, and this should be borne in mind in connection with the following table3:—
| Town. | 1904.8. | 1909. | Town. | 1904.8. | 1909. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 11.3 | 10.2 | Stockholm | 9.7 | 9.5 |
| Greater London | 12.5 | 11.1 | St. Petersburg | 3.2 | 3.2 |
| Paris | 1.3 | •3 | Berlin | 8.3 | 6.5 |
| Brussels | 4.0 | 2.9 | Vienna | 7.9 | 5.3 |
| Amsterdam | 11.9 | 10.8 | Rome | 5.1 | 3.4 |
| Copenhagen | 12.3 | 12.8 | New York | 8.9 | 10.7 |
The natural increase during the period 1904.8 in New York is probably understated, owing to
incomplete registration of births prior to 1908. It will be noticed that the excess of births over
deaths in 1909 is below the average of the preceding five years in all these towns except Copenhagen,
New York and St. Petersburg.
Marriages.
The number of marriages in the Administrative County of London in 1909 was 38,170
(52 weeks), giving an annual rate of 15.8 persons married per 1,000 living. This, as previously stated, is
the lowest rate recorded in London since complete marriage statistics have been available.
1 For the purposes of these rates the births in the principal lying-in institutions have been distributed to
(he district to which they belong.
2 These death-rates are fully corrected for institutions, by the exclusion of deaths of persons not
ing to, but occurring in, institutions situated within London, and by the inclusion of deaths of persons belonging to
London, but occurring in London institutions situated outside the Administrative County.
s All death-rates in this report relating to foreign towns are calculated upon figures published by the Registrar -
General.