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
Islington 1894
Thirty-ninth annual report on the health and sanitary condition of the Parish of St. Mary, Islington
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The nearest approach to this rate was in 1889, when, with 5,093
deaths, it was 16.3, and in 1888, when 5,206 deaths gave 16.9.
The Islington death-rate compares very favourably with that of the
Metropolis, in which it was 17.4 per 1,000.
From a return in The Lancet I have been able to obtain statistics relating to the neighbouring districts :—
| Deaths. | Death-rate. | |
|---|---|---|
| St. Marylebone | 2,662 | = 19.3 |
| Hampstead | 798 | = 10.6 |
| St. Pancras | 4,256 | = 18.3 |
| Islington | 5,263 | = 15.8 |
| Stoke Newington | 334 | = 9.8 |
| Hackney | 3,241 | = 15.4 |
| Clerkenwell | 1,243 | = 19.1 |
| St. Luke | 965 | = 23.5 |
When I turn to the mortality of the large towns I find that only
five out of thirty-three populous places had a mortality rate as low as
that of this Parish. These were Croydon (13.2), Portsmouth (15.2),
Leicester (14.7), Derby (15.0), and Huddersfield (15.8). The populations
of these places are not, however, nearly so great as that of
Islington, the largest—that of Leicester—being 189,136. When the
death-rate of Islington is contrasted with those of the greatest communities
it is then seen in a particularly favourable light:—
Population. Deaths. Death-rate.
Birmingham 492,301 9,125 18.6
Liverpool 507,230 12,062 23.8
Manchester 520,211 10,592 20.4
Leeds 388,761 6,927 17.9
Sheffield 338,316 5,994 17.8
Islington 331,901 5,263 15.8