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
Paddington 1904
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Paddington, Metropolitan Borough of]
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ii.
which prevailed during 1870-72 persisted during 1900-02. The rates are set out in tabular form below:— Mean Rates : England and Wales.
| Periods. | Births. | Deaths. | Infantile Mortality. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1870—72 | 35.3 | 21.1 | 156 |
| 1880—82 | 34.0 | 18.8 | 141 |
| 1890—92 | 30.7 | 19.4 | 149 |
| 1900—02 | 28.6 | 17.1 | 146 |
| 1903 | 28.4 | 15.4 | 132 |
| 1904 | 27.2 | 16.2 | 146 |
Thus the number enumerated at the Census of 1871 was 30.9 per cent. higher than the number enumerated in 1801. Similarly the return for 1901 was 45.7 per cent. higher than that of 1891. (See Table below.) Increases per cent. in each previous Decennium.
| Date of Census. | Total Population of England and Wales. | Of Persons born in Foreign Countries enumerated in England and Wales. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| As determined by Census enumeration. | As calculated from natural increment. | Total. | Classified as Foreign Subjects. | |
| 1871 | 13.19 | 13.58 | 36.9 | 19.7 |
| 1881 | 14.36 | 15.09 | 25.0 | 17.3 |
| 1891 | 11.66 | 13.97 | 33.6 | 67.9* |
| 1901 | 12.16 | 12.39 | 45.7 | 25.1 |
* Overstated owing to imperfect filling up of Schedules.
The changes in the birth and death rates may be stated in a different manner
Comparing the rates for 1900-02 with those for 1870-72, the decrease in each rate for 1900-05
is equal to 19 per cent, of the rate for 1870-72. In 1870-72 the mean infantile mortality was
156 per 1,000 births, in 1900-02, 146—showing a decrease equal to 6.4 per cent, of the rats
for the earlier period, or very little more than one-third the decline in the general rate. Such
a trifling reduction can scarcely be claimed as a credit to sanitary administration. Having
regard to the decreased birth-rate, the high infantile mortality is a problem ranking second
only to that of the housing of the working classes—with which it is indeed very closely
associated.