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
Wandsworth 1860
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Wandsworth District, The Board of Works (Clapham, Putney, Streatham, Tooting & Wandsworth)]
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CLAPHAM.
The disproportion between the population of Clapham at the beginning of the present century, and that disclosed by the recent census, being so extraordinary, I beg to submit the following table, showing the decennial increase from 1801 to 1861.
| Population. | 1801. | 1811. | 1821. | 1831. | 1841. | 1851. | 1861. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Males | 1,675 | 2,150 | 3,124 | 4,412 | 5,214 | 6,970 | 8,857 |
| Females | 2,189 | 2,933 | 4,027 | 5,546 | 6,892 | 9,320 | 12,033 |
| Total | 3,864 | 5,083 | 7,151 | 9,958 | 12,106 | 16,290 | 20,890 |
By inspection of this table it will be seen that the rate of increase per
cent. has varied considerably, having been for the first ten years 31.34,
advancing in the second ten years to 40.6 (which was the greatest increase of
the six periods), but slightly receding during the third decennial interval
(1821—31) to 39.3. The smallest increase is observable in the fourth ten
years, during which the cholera made its appearance, when it was only 21.57
per cent. During the fifth and six decades, the increase was respectively
34.56, and 28.23. The average increase of these six periods having been
32.63, it does not appear that in the last ten years the population has increased
with undue rapidity.
Many interesting speculations might be entered into, and important calculations
made, based upon this table, did space permit. But one rather
curious result of the last census may here be mentioned, namely, that the
number of females exceeded the males by 3,106 on the 8th of April last, in
this sub-district, as indeed it appears has always been the case, though to a
much less extent, at the taking of every census since 1801.