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
Kensington 1907
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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10
age-composition of the population. Correction for these data involves addition to, or subtraction
from, the "recorded death-rate," as compared with the "standard death-rate." *The necessity
for such correction is obvious, having regard to the great excess of females in the population, and to
the lower death rate in the female sex as compared with the rate in the male sex. That excess in
1907 was approximately 39,300. The deaths among the 70,600 males were 1,217 and those among
the 109,900 females 1,254. The crude death-rate in the male sex was 17.2 as compared with the rate
of 11.4 in the female sex. It is obvious, therefore, that if the numbers of the sexes had been equal,
the death-rate would have been higher than the recorded rate. The Registrar-General, in his Annual
Summary, gives the "factor for correction for sex and age distribution" in each of the Metropolitan
Boroughs. Corrected after the manner indicated, the death-rate of Kensington in 1907 becomes,
instead of 13.7, one of 14.8 per 1,000; and the rate for London, as a whole, 15.4 instead of
14.6. The "true" death-rate is that which shows the mortality per 1,000 living of each sex at
different age-periods, as set out in the subjoined table.
The True Death-rate of Kensington, 1907.
| Age-Period. | Population. | Deaths. | Death-rate. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Both Sexes. | Males. | Females | Both Sexes. | Males. | Females. | Both Sexes. | Males. | Females. | |
| Under five years of age | 14,457 | 7,209 | 7,248 | 688 | 405 | 283 | 476 | 56.2 | 39.0 |
| Five and under 15 | 26,464 | 12,869 | 13,595 | 82 | 34 | 48 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 3.5 |
| Fifteen and under 25 | 39,066 | 13,755 | 25,311 | 73 | 30 | 43 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 1.7 |
| Twenty-five and under 35 | 35,740 | 11,742 | 23,998 | 126 | 70 | 56 | 3.5 | 5.9 | 2.3 |
| Thirty-five and under 45 | 25,358 | 9,647 | 15,711 | 185 | 79 | 106 | 7.3 | 8.2 | 6.7 |
| Forty-five and under 55 | 18,569 | 7,376 | 11,193 | 258 | 129 | 129 | 13.9 | 17.5 | 11.6 |
| Fifty-five and under 65 | 11,823 | 4,685 | 7,138 | 337 | 180 | 157 | 28.5 | 38.4 | 22.0 |
| Sixty-five and under 75 | 6,257 | 2,354 | 3,903 | 336 | 141 | 195 | 53.7 | 59.9 | 50.0 |
| Seventy-five and upwards | 2,766 | 963 | 1,803 | 386 | 149 | 237 | 139.6 | 154.7 | 131.4 |
| Totals | 180,500 | 70,600 | 109,900 | 2,471 | 1,217 | 1,254 | — | — | — |
The subjoined table shows the quarterly numbers of deaths of males and females in the borough, and in each of the sub-districts:—
| Kensington Town. | Brompton. | The Borocgh. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Males. Females. | Total | Males. | Females. | Total. | Total. | ||
| 1st quarter | 815 | 851 | 666 | 74 | 87 | 161 | 827 |
| 2nd „ | 216 | 282 | 448 | 55 | 69 | 124 | 572 |
| 3rd „ | 219 | 178 | 897 | 50 | 42 | 92 | 489 |
| 4th „ | 235 | 238 | 473 | 58 | 57 | 110 | 583 |
| 985 | 999 | 1,984 | 232 | 255 | 487 | 2,471 | |
| The Births were, of Males | 1,779 | The Deaths were, of Males | 1,217 | ||||
| „ Females | 1,649 | „ Females | 1,254 | ||||
| Total Births | 8,428 | Total Deaths | 2,471 | ||||
| Deduct | 2,471 Deaths | ||||||
Shows 957 excess of Births over Deaths.
Table A, Appendix II. (page 108) gives the number of deaths, and the death-rate, for each of
the fifty-two years 1856-1907.
* The expression "standard death-rate" signifies the death-rate at all ages, calculated on the hypothesis that the rate
for each sex, at each of twelve age-periods in each town, were the same as in England and Wales, during the 10 years 1891-1900;
the rate at all ages in England and Wales during that period having been 18.2 per 1,000.