View report page

These death rates are "crude" or uncorrected death rates, that is
to say they are calculated merely on the number of deaths per
1,000 of the population of Finsbury. They do not take cognizance
of the relative numbers of the sexes nor of the age distribution of
the population. Yet this is necessary for purposes of comparison
with other districts on account of the fact that the mortality among
young children and old people is higher than amongst adults, and
also higher among males than females. Therefore it is evident
that a district containing many young children and old people
would have a higher death rate than a district composed more
largely of young adults and females. It is this characteristic which
makes "correction" necessary. The Registrar.General in his
animal summary gives the "factor for correction for sex and age
distribution" in the seventy.six great towns in England and
Wales, and the Medical Officer of Health of the Administrative
County of London gives a corresponding factor for each Metropolitan
Borough. For Finsbury the factor is 10355, and the true
or "corrected" death rate for this Borough, which allows for the
mortality of each sex at different age.periods, is 19.5 per 1,000
living. This compares favourably with the corrected death rate
(22.0) of last year, when Finsbury occupied the unenviable position
of having the highest death rate in London.