London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

View report page

Paddington 1914

Report on the vital statistics and the work of the Public Health Department for the years 1914-18 (inclusive)

This page requires JavaScript

23
deaths in institutions.
Table VIII., Appendix, gives an analysis of the sexes and ages of the persons whose
deaths were dealt with by Coroner's Inquest. The striking fact brought out by that Table
is the increase of deaths from Accidental Causes in every sex-age group except females aged
0-1 year. The Index Numbers (1914-18) at all ages are—
All Inquests.
Males 120
Females 146
By
Misadventure.
69
69
Accidental
Causes.
157
171
Suicide.
100
96
Murder.
150
100
Open.
153
437
Neglect.
158
141
Deaths in Institutions.
The numbers of deaths recorded in local institutions and of those occurring in institutions
outside the Borough which have been included in the corrected totals of deaths, are
shown in Table IX., Appendix, the causes of those deaths are shown in Tables X. and XI.
The proportion of institutional to all deaths (corrected total) was 29'9 per cent. in 1904 and
rose to 42.3 per cent. in 1918. The average percentages during the three quinquennial
periods included in Table IX. are—1904-8, 31.6; 1909-13, 35.9; and 1914-18,41.1. Expressed
by Index Numbers (average for 1904-8=100) that for the middle period is 114, and that for
the last, 130.

The percentages of institutional to all deaths (corrected) and the Index Numbers for the last five years are given below. Percentages of Institutional Deaths to all Deaths (corrected).

Queen's Park.Harrow Road.Maida Vale.Westbourne.Church.Lancaster West.Gate. East.Hyde Park.
Average, 1909-1339.632.931.935.247.722.320.730.2
„ 1914-1844.539.335.140.157.527.928.339.4
Index Number, 1914-18112119110114120124130115

The proportion of institutional deaths is always highest in Church Ward, but the
greatest increase (30 per cent.) in the proportion of those deaths during 1914-18 was
observed in Lancaster Gate, East, Ward.
In the Borough as a whole the proportion of institutional to all deaths of males during
1914-18 was 43'9 per cent.—that of females, 4T6.
Analysis of the institutional deaths shows that the greatest part of the increase during
1914-18 occurred in lunatic asvlums. The figures are set out below.
Percentages of Institution Deaths to all Deaths (corrected).
Averages. Index Numbers.
1909-13. 1914-18. 1914-18.
Rate-supported.
Metropolitan Asylums Board
Poor Law Infirmaries and Workhouses
Lunatic Asylums
Voluntary.
General and Special Hospitals
l.7
20.7
2.7
251
11.1
1.7
24.0 30.4
4.7
10.4
100
116 21
176
93
The voluntary institutions include sanatoria but exclude nursing homes.
MORTALITY IN CHILDHOOD.
Infantile Mortality.—During the five years 1914-18, 11,224 births were registered
within the Borough and 1,500 deaths at ages 0-1 year, which figures give a crude average
rate of infantile mortality for the whole period of 133 per 1,000 births. In the preceding five
years the births numbered 14,225 and the deaths 1,767, the average (crude) mortality being
124 per 1,000 births. The fully corrected numbers of births and deaths in the two quinquennial
periods were—
Births. Deaths.
1909-13 15,040 1,592
1914-18 12,444 1,361
and the corresponding infantile mortalities (average for each period) 106 and 109 respectively,
showing an increase of (approximately) 3 per cent. Table II., Appendix, contains
comparisons of the average rates of mortality in each of the Wards for the two periods from
which it appears that the averages were higher in the second period in all Wards except
Queen's Park and Lancaster Gate, East. The greatest increase (9 per cent.) was recorded
in Maida Vale Ward. The mortality recorded in the Borough in each year is shown in
Table I., Appendix. In the course of the ten vears, 1909-18, the highest mortality was 135
(recorded in 1917) and the lowest, 94 (recorded in 1916).