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
Kensington 1875
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington]
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16
estimated rate last year. The low birth rate in the parish generally
is due to the disproportion in the relative number of the sexes.
The illegitimate births registered were 188 or 4.2 per cent, of
all the births. Registration of births was made compulsory by an
Act of Parliament, that came into operation on the 1st January,
1875, but it is probable that through ignorance or indifference some
few births may still escape registration. The number, however,
cannot be large, the risk of omission being naturally greatest in
respect of illegitimate births. One hundred and sixty-nine of the
illegitimate births were registered in the Town sub-district and 19 in
Brompton: the workhouse is included within the former, and in
this establishment there took place 115 births, including 4 stillborn
(males 66, females 49), of which 93 were returned as illegitimate.
The subjoined table shows the quarterly number of births registered in each sub-district:—
| Kensington Town | Brompton | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sub-District. | Sub-District. | Grand Total. | |||||
| Males. | Females. | Total. | Males. | Females. | Total. | ||
| 1st Quarter | 487 | 460 | 947 | 103 | 116 | 219 | 1,166 |
| 2nd „ | 466 | 445 | 911 | 93 | 108 | 201 | 1,112 |
| 3rd „ | 467 | 421 | 888 | 118 | 104 | 222 | 1,110 |
| 4th „ | 454 | 436 | 890 | 87 | 112 | 199 | 1,089 |
| Total | 1,874 | 1,762 | 3,636 | 401 | 440 | 841 | 4,477 |
DEATHS.
Two thousand seven hundred and eighty-six deaths were registered
during the year, viz., 2,113 in the Town sub-district, and 673
in Brompton. The deaths in the first-named sub-district include
195 at the workhouse and parish infirmary in Wright's-lane, and
45 that took place at St. Joseph's House, Portobello-road, Nottinghill.
The Brompton total includes 143 at the Consumption
Hospital. After deducting the deaths of non-parishioners at the
last-named institution, and distributing the deaths at the workhouse,
the deaths in the Town-district were 2,068, and in Brompton
585. This gives a death-rate for the whole parish of 18.5 per
1,000 persons living, the rate being approximately 19.1 per 1,000
in the Town sub-district, and 16.6 in Brompton. The death rate of the
male sex (whole parish) was about 23 per 1,000; of the female
sex 16.9. The deaths of males numbered 1,350 in a population of
58,400; the female population, estimated at 85,100, gave a total
of 1,436 deaths. The number of males' deaths was the same as
last year, the entire increase (90) occurring in the female sex.
The deaths under 1 year of age were 686, 76 less than last year,
and 24.6 per cent. of total deaths (viz. 2,786—the deaths of nonparishioners
being retained as a compensatory allowance for the
deaths of parishioners taking place outside the Parish): the rate
in all London was 24.4 per cent. These deaths were equal to