London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Paddington 1902
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Paddington, Metropolitan Borough of]
This page requires JavaScript
infantile mortality.
31
Alcoholism.—Twenty-three (23) deaths were due to acute and chronic alcoholism, equal
to a rate of 0.14, just double the mean (0.07). In dealing with the question of alcoholic excess
it is usual to include deaths certified as due to "cirrhosis of the liver," under which head 25
deaths were recorded during last year. There appears to be a tendency to an increased
mortality from these causes, as will be seen from the following comparison.
Deaths due to Alcoholic Excess. Rates per 1,000 persons of all ages.
| Mean Rates. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ten years. | Five years. | Five years. | ||
| 1902 | 1892-1901 | 1892-1896 | 1897-1901 | |
| "Acute and chronic alcoholism" Borough | 0.14 | 0.07 | 0.06 | 0.08 |
| St. Mary | 0.17 | 0.08 | 0.07 | 0.10 |
| St. John | 0.11 | 0.06 | 0.06 | 0.06 |
| North-West Paddington | 0.10 | 0.04 | 0.02 | 0.06 |
| "Cirrhosis of Liver " Borough | 0.16 | 0.14 | 0.12 | 0.16 |
| St. Mary | 0.20 | 0.14 | 0.12 | 0.16 |
| St. John | 0.11 | 0.16 | 0.16 | 0.15 |
| North-West Paddington | 0.05 | 0.07 | 0.02 | 0.13 |
INFANTILE MORTALITY.
During the year 474 deaths at ages under one year were registered in the Borough, equal
to a rate of 144 per 1,000 births, being 11 per 1,000 less than the decennial mean (See Table I.,
Appendix). The deaths of residents at these ages numbered 433, being 22 less than the total
for 1901. The corrected mortality was 131, or 4 per 1,000 less than the rate in 1901, and
20 less than the mean for the preceding decennium (Table 22). The rate according to the
Registrar-General was 132 per 1,000 and was lower than that of any of the Selected Districts,
Hampstead excepted, where the rate was 87 (Table 21).
The deaths of residents in St. Mary's Sub-District numbered 325, being 29 less than in
1901, and equal to a rate of 133, or 23 less than the decennial mean (156). In St. John they
numbered 32, 7 less than in the previous year and equal to rate of 83 per 1,000 births, being
35 less than the mean (118). In North-West Paddington there were 70 deaths, 14 more than
in 1901, and equal to 100 per 1,000 births, being 5 in excess of the mean (155). Full information
as to numbers for the two sexes are given in the following Table:—
TABLE 24.
| Deaths at ages under one year. | Mortalities per 1,000 births registered. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Borough. | St. Mary. | St. John | North-West Paddn. | Borough. | St. Mary. | St. John | North-West Paddn. | |
| Males | 269 | 204 | 22 | 43 | 159 | 161 | 120 | 178 |
| Females | 164 | 121 | 10 | 33 | 101 | 102 | 50 | 140 |
| Persons, 1902 | 433 | 325 | 32 | 76 | 131 | 133 | 83 | 160 |
| „ 1901 | 455 | 354 | 39 | 62 | 135 | 139 | 102 | 143 |
Attention has been already directed to the decrease in the birth-rate of Old Paddington.
(See page 7). Not only has the birth-rate declined, but the infantile mortality shows an
upward tendency, the rate for last year being, however, in the other direction. Thus the
mean mortality among male infants in St. Mary during the ten years 1857-66 was 168 per
1,000 births, that during the ten years 1892—1901, 171; the rates for females were 137 and
141 respectively. In St. John's Sub-District, where the greater decrease in the birth-rate has
occurred, the male rate was in the first period 140, in the second 190, the rates for females
being 108 and 185 respectively. A complete comparison is given on the next page.