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23
DEATHS
The net number of deaths registered during 1962 was 965, of
which 528 were males and 437 females, compared with last year's
total of 927 comprising 486 males and 441 females
This gives a crude Death Rate for the Borough of 1142 per
thousand of the population, representing an increase of 051 compared
with that of the previous year and a rate which is 150
greater than the average for the last ten years, viz, 992 The
Crude Death Rate figure is increased to 1245 when the comparability
figure furnished by the Registrar General for adjusting Local
Deaths, is taken into account
The adjusted Death Rate is in effect a "corrected" Death
Rate The Registrar-General has pointed out that if the population
of all areas were similarly constituted as regards the proportion of
their sex and age group components, their crude death rates (deaths
per 1,000 population) could be accepted as valid comparative
measures of the mortalities experienced by the several populations
Populations, however, are not similarly constituted and their
crude Death Rates therefore fail as true comparative mortality
indexes in that their variations are not due to mortality alone, but
arise also from differences in their population constitution For
instance, a town with a population consisting of aged persons would
register more deaths than one composed entirely of young and
vigorous adults Again a town containing a larger number of males
than females records more deaths with a consequent higher Death
Rate than one in which females preponderate
To overcome this difficulty the Registrar-General has worked
out for each area in the country an adjusting factor which is termed
the " Comparability Factor " and is based on the last census population
figure
The Comparability Factor for Greenwich is 109 and may be
regarded as the population handicap to be applied which, when
multiplied by the crude Death Rate for the year, modifies the
latter so as to make it comparable with the country as a whole or
with any similarly adjusted area
The Death Rates for the County of London and for England
and Wales are 120 and 119 respectively
The inset table showing the causes of deaths at all ages has been
supplied by the Registrar-General and is included in accordance
with the Ministry of Health's request
In the Appendix to the Report will be found a table giving by
districts, the causes of, and ages at death of residents whilst indicating
the numbers actually dying in Public Institutions.