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
Islington 1913
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Islington, Metropolitan Borough of]
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7
1913
These figures may be better appreciated in tabular form
| Age periods | 1881. | 1891. | 1901. | 1911. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 25 years old | 537 | 524 | 492 | 461 |
| Between 25 and 55 | 374 | 383 | 405 | 417 |
| Over 55 | 89 | 93 | 103 | 122 |
| 1,000 | 1,000 | 1,000 | 1,000 |
What these figures mean is that in the interval between 1881 and 1911 the
proportion of population under 25 years of age—that is to say its younger and
most active members—has decreased 14.2 per cent. while the number of persons
in mature life, that is between 25 and 55, has increased 11.5 per cent.: and the
number of those who are advancing into old age, or who have arrived at it, has
increased by 37 per cent. It does noc need much demonstration to prove that
such changes must seriously affect the mortality, for it goes without saying that
the older a person grows the nearer he approaches death. It would, therefore,
be well when comparing the present death returns of the boroughs with past
years to recollect these changes, which happily have been countered to a great
extent by active sanitary administration. For a similar reason when contrasting
one County, Town, or District with another, the manner in which
the ages of their populations are distributed must be taken into account, for
considerable differences occur among them.
The following tabular statement shows how the populations of England and Wales, the English Urban Districts, London and Islington, compared at the last census:—
| Age Period. | England and Wales. | Urban Districts. | London. | Islington. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 25 years of age | 487 | 488 | 482 | 461 |
| Between 25 & 55 | 397 | 403 | 378 | 417 |
| Over 55 years | 116 | 109 | 140 | 122 |
A further statement respecting the age distribution of all these populations
is given in Tables V. and VI.
Sexes of the Population. -The total estimated population, 325,585, of
the borough consists of 155,032 males and 170,553 females, so that the males
are in the proportion of 100 to every 110 females.
Further, and full particulars are given in Table I. which follows.