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Table A, Appendix II. (page 60) gives the number of births and the birth-rate for each of
three years, 1856-1908.
NOTIFICATION OF BIRTHS ACT, 1907.
During the year, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-five notifications of births were
received, or 55.5 per cent, of births registered: 1,462 of them belong to North Kensington and 403
to South Kensington: 612 were notified by fathers, 351 by medical practitioners, 726 by midwives,
and 176 by other persons.
DEATHS AND DEATH-RATE.
The registered deaths, inclusive of 354 of parishioners at outlying public institutions, etc.,
but exclusive of 713 of non-parishioners at public institutions, etc., within the borough, were 2,398
(males 1,139, females 1,259), or 2,353 after correction for the 53rd week, and 345 (after correction)
below the corrected decennial average (2,698). Of these deaths, 1,933 belong to the Town subdistrict
and 465 to Brompton.
The death-rate, which in the preceding three years had been 14.0, 13'9 and 13.7, per 1,000
respectively, was 13.0* in 1908, and the lowest on record. It was 1.9 below the decennial average
(14.9) and 0'8 below the rate in the Metropolis, as a whole, 13'8.
The rates in the sub-districts were : Town 14.5, Brompton 9.2 per 1,000, as compared with
15.2 and 9.8, respectively, in 1907.
The deaths in North Kensington were 1,529, and the death-rate 16T per 1,000.
The deaths in South Kensington were 869, and the death-rate 9.7 per 1,000.
The sex-rates (entire borough) were, males 16T, females 11.4 per 1,000.
The ward-rates in 1908 (entire year) are set out below; the rate in each of the thirteen four
weekly periods in the table at page 12.
North Kensington:
per 1,000 persons living.
St. Charles
367 deaths = 16.0
Golborne
438 deaths = 15.9
Norland
455 deaths = 18.5
Pembridge
269 deaths = 13.3
South Kensington :
Holland
224 deaths = 10.5
Earl's Court
246 deaths = 13.0
Queen's Gate
95 deaths = 6.4
Redcliffe
197 deaths = 10.1
Brompton
107 deaths = 7.2
The Corrected or True Death-rate.—The death-rate, 13.0 per 1,000, as calculated above
is a crude or uncorrected one, not taking cognizance of the relative numbers of the sexes, nor of the
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.'t 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
1908 was approximately 39,400. The deaths among the 70,800 males were 1,139 and those among
the 110,200 females 1,259. The crude death-rate in the male sex was 16T 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 1908 becomes,
instead of 13.0, one of 14.0 per 1,000 ; and the rate for London, as a whole, 14.5 instead of
13-8. 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.
* This is the crude death-rate. The rate corrected for age and sex distribution was 14 0 per 1,000. The " true death
rate " is set out in the table at page 10.
† 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.