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4
also a somewhat smaller proportion of old people over 55 years,
than is the case in all England. Table I. showed that the proportion
of females to males is also a little greater in London and in Chelsea
than in the whole of England.
These facts are of importance in their bearing upon death-rates.
The death-rates of children under 5 years and of old people over
55 years, are very greatly in excess of the death-rate for all ages.
The death-rates of females also are at all ages lower than the corresponding
death-rates of males. Consequently no comparison
ought to be instituted between the death-rates of different districts,
unless the age and sex distribution of the populations is identical or
very nearly so ; or unless a correction has been made for differences
of age and sex distribution.
The average death-rate of England and Wales during the 10
years 1881-90, was 19*149 per 1,000. If the death-rate of England
and Wales for each sex at twelve different age-periods during this
period is applied to the London population with age and sex distribution,
as shown by the 1891 Census, a death-rate for all ages of
17.974 per 1,000 is obtained, which is 1.175 per 1,000 lower than
that of all England—this difference being due to the proportional
ages and sex of the population in London differing from those
obtaining in the whole of England. Consequently, when comparing
the death-rate of London with that of England and Wales, the
former should be corrected by multiplying it by the factor 1-06537.
The factor for correcting the Chelsea death-rate is 1.06555 which
is so nearly identical with the London factor as to show that the
death-rates of Chelsea and London are fairly comparable with each
other without correction.
The death-rates of other parishes in London may have to be
corrected for comparison with London. For instance, the correction
factor ofSt. George's, Hanover-square, is 1.10547, showing that
its age and sex distribution is favourable to a lower mortality than
that of all London, whilst some East-End and working-class parishes
must have their uncorrected death-rates multiplied by a factor
which is less than unity, in order to make them fairly comparable
with the death-rate of the metropolis.
BIRTHS AND BIRTH-RATE FOR 1893.
Table III. gives the births and birth-rate per 1,000 per annum
in each district of Chelsea, in the whole parish, and in London.