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12
SUMMARY OF VITAL AND MORTAL STATISTICS, KENSINGTON.
In the table at page 13, the principal vital and mortal statistics of the year have been
arranged in thirteen four-weekly periods corresponding to the dates of the monthly reports.
The birth-rate, as already stated, was 20·0 per 1,000, and 1·0 below the decennial average
(21·0); the death-rate 13·8 per 1,000 and 2·3 below the decennial average (16·1). There were,
as usual, considerable fluctuations in the rate at different periods of the year, ranging between the
minimum (10·2) in the sixth four-weekly period, ended June 20th, and the maximum (17·9), in the
first four-weekly period, ended January 31st. The rate was in five of the periods above, and in eight
below, the average for the year. The deaths in the first half of the year (1,239) were 23 more than
those in the second half (1,216); the death-rate in the two half-years being 13·9, and 13·7,
respectively. The deaths from the principal diseases of the zymotic class were 268—five more than
in 1902, and 69 below the decennial average; 116 of these occurred in the first half of the year,
152 in the second. Whooping-cough was the prevalent and most fatal disease in the first half, the
deaths in the first sixteen weeks numbering 72 out of a total of 90 in the year. Measles began to
prevail in a fatal form in November, in which month and December 23 deaths were registered, the
total for the year being 34. Eighty-five of the 97 deaths (mostly infantile) from diarrhoea occurred
in the second half of the year; 70 of them in twelve weeks, July 19th to October 10th. The deaths
from diseases of the respiratory organs (479) were fewer by 135 than in 1902. Diseases of the
heart were the causes of 192 deaths, compared with 238 in the preceding year. Phthisis was fatal
to 212 persons against 221 in 1902; other tubercular diseases claimed 73 victims, compared with 54
in the preceding year.
The Statistical Characteristics of the Year, as compared with preceding years, and as
regards the metropolis, as a whole, and the Royal Borough, may be summed up as follows:—
The London birth-rate (28·4) and death-rate (15·7) were the lowest on record. The birthrate
has been declining for many years: never having been below 30 per 1,000 until the year 1898:
the highest rate during my tenure of office (35·9) was recorded in 1876. The nearest approximations
to the 1903 death-rate occurred in 1901 and 1902 (17·7 per 1,000) and in 1894 (17·8). Smallpox,
which killed 1,314 persons in 1902 (and 7,912 in 1871) was the cause of only 13 deaths last
year. The deaths from scarlet fever (362) were the fewest on record, the next lowest number (365)
having been recorded in 1900: the maximum, 6,040, in 1870. Diphtheria caused 752 deaths—the
lowest total since 1881 (657). Enteric fever shows the smallest number of deaths on record (387)
the lowest previous annual total (436) having been recorded in 1892: the maximum (1,069) in 1869.
As regards Kensington, the birth-rate (20·0) showed a slight improvement upon that in 1902
(19·3) which was the lowest on record. The death-rate (13·8) was the lowest ever recorded, the
nearest approaches to it being 15·9 in 1883, 15·0 in 1901, and 14·6 in 1889. The infantile mortalityrate
(143 per 1,000 births registered) was the lowest on record, excepting in two years; 142 in 1883,
and 132 in 1889. Among diseases of the zymotic class, enteric fever was distinguished by the
smallest number of deaths on record (9), the nearest approximations to this figure being 11 in 1886,
1887, and 1901. Many complaints with regard to the water supply were made by analysts and
others, especially in connection with the heavy rainfall in the second half of the year, but it is
manifest that there was not any water-borne typhoid in the Borough, or in the Metropolis.
The mean temperature of the air at Greenwich during the year was 50o·l Fahrenheit and
0·6 above the means of the preceding 50 years: the means of the four quarters being 44·1, 51·9,
59·8 and 44·4, respectively.