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8
VITAL STATISTICS
The population of the Borough of Lambeth at the mid year
1951 has been estimated by the Registrar General to be 229,100
which is 1 900 less than the estimated population in 1950 and
1 005 less than that disclosed at the Census in 1951. The natural
increase by births over deaths was 882.
The following table shows the actual numbers and the percentages
of deaths in various age groups and no less than 39. 29% of all
deaths were in the age group 75 years and over. The tendency for
many years has been towards an increase of the average age at
death and now almost two persons out of five are living more
than five years beyond three score years and ten. Old people who
tend to give up the struggle and drift towards insanitary habits
and conditions are still a great difficulty but the outstanding
efforts of the Lambeth Old People's Welfare Association, with
its 23 clubs, have saved and continue to save many from degradation.
In close co-operation with the Association the 'Meals-on-Wheels'
service provides many old people with a hot meal three or four
days a week, while the geriatric unit at the South Western
Hospital is doing great work in putting old people back on their
feet after they have taken to bed for some cause or other. An
old person who stays in bed for a few days from any cause
frequently finds the effort to get up again too much without the
expert help they get when admitted for a few days to hospital.
ALL AGES 0-1 1-5 5-15 15-25 25-45 45-65 65-75 75& over
2.947 96 17 19 16 162 679 800 1158
100% 3.26 0.58 0.64 0.54 5.5 23.04 27.15 39.29%
The principal causes of death were heart disease 911 (917)
or 30.91 per cent. (33.65) of the total deaths, cancer 5 2 3 (485)
or 17.75 per cent. (17.80), and influenza, bronchitis and
pneumonia, three causes of death largely dependent upon the
weather, were the cause of 501 (316) deaths or 17.0 per cent.
( 11. 6).
During the year the number of live births corrected by inward
and outward transfers was 3, 829, giving a corrected birth rate
of 16.71 compared with 16.77 in 1950, a decrease of 0.06 per
1.000 population.
Tuberculosis of the lung has now been exceeded by new growths
or cancers of the lung as a cause of death. The tabulation of
causes of death has been changed for the years 1950 and 1951
and the fresh statistics disclose that there would appear to be
cause for some concern.