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
London County Council 1892
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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The districts of Whitechapel and St. Olave, which, in 1881, had shown a decrease of population,
showed an increase in 1891.
The accompanying chart (I.) shows (a) the districts with decrease of population between 1881 and
1891; (b) the districts in which the increase of population between 1881 and 1891 has been less
than the excess of births over deaths in 1881-90; and (c) the districts in which the increase of
population between 1881-91 has been greater than the excess of births over deaths in 1881-90.
It will be seen that districts in the first group are situated on the north of the Thames,
those in the second group are situated on the south as well as the north of the Thames, and
practically surround the first group, while districts in the third group form an outer circle.
The estimated population of the administrative county of London in the middle of the year 1892
is 4.284.678. living on 75,442 acres, and having an average densitv of 57 persons to an acre.
The estimated population and the density of population in the several sanitary districts is shown in the following table. The greatest density of population hitherto attained by any district since 1811 was 241 persons per acre (St. Luke, 1861)—
| Estimated population middle of 1892. | Area in acres. | Persons to an acre. | Estimated population middle of 1892. | Area in acres. | Persons to an acre. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West— | East— | ||||||
| Kensington | 166,709 | 2,188 | 76 | Shoreditch | 123,695 | 648 | 191 |
| Hammersmith | 100,471 | 2,286 | 44 | Bethnal-green | 129,400 | 755 | 171 |
| Fulham | 98,934 | 1,701 | 58 | Whitechapel | 74,859 | 379 | 197 |
| Paddington | 119,270 | 1,256 | 95 | St. George-in-the-East | 45,627 | 244 | 187 |
| Chelsea | 97,320 | 794 | 123 | Limehouse | 57,231 | 465 | 123 |
| St. George, Hanover-square | 77,066 | 1,117 | 69 | Mile-end Old-town | 107,840 | 677 | 159 |
| Westminster | 55,247 | 823 | 67 | Poplar | 168,072 | 2,333 | 72 |
| St. James | 24,437 | 163 | 150 | ||||
| South— | |||||||
| North— | St. Saviour, Southwark | 26,997 | 204 | 132 | |||
| Marylebone | 140,908 | 1,506 | 94 | St. George, Southwark | 59,846 | 284 | 211 |
| Hampstead | 71,400 | 2,248 | 32 | Newington | 116,838 | 631 | 185 |
| Pancras | 234,133 | 2,672 | 88 | St. Olave | 12,823 | 125 | 103 |
| Islington | 323,986 | 3,109 | 104 | Bermondsey | 84,439 | 627 | 135 |
| Hackney | 235,611 | 3,937 | 60 | Rotherhithe | 39,678 | 754 | 53 |
| Lambeth | 278,013 | 3,941 | 71 | ||||
| Central— | Battersea | 154,767 | 2,169 | 71 | |||
| St. Giles | 39,144 | 244 | 160 | Wandsworth | 165,071 | 9,285 | 18 |
| St. Martin-in-the-Fields | 14,290 | 286 | 50 | Camberwell | 240,304 | 4,450 | 54 |
| Strand | 24,413 | 170 | 144 | Greenwich | 169,153 | 3,425 | 49 |
| Holborn | 32,944 | 194 | 170 | Lewisham | 95,719 | 6,543 | 15 |
| Clerkenwell | 65,867 | 380 | 173 | Woolwich | 41,404 | 1,126 | 37 |
| St. Luke | 41,919 | 237 | 177 | Plumstead | 91,894 | 10,394 | 9 |
| London, City of | 36,939 | 672 | 55 | ||||
The following table shows (subject to what has been said) the average number of persons to a house in each sanitary district in 1881 and 1891.
| 1881. No. of persons per house. | 1891. No. of persons per house. | 1881. No. of persons per house. | 1891. No. of persons per house. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West— | Central— | ||||
| Kensington | 8.1 | 7.5 | St. Giles | 11.4 | 10.6 |
| Hammersmith | 6.8 | 6.9 | St. Martin-in-the-Fields | 10.2 | 9.9 |
| Fulham | 7.3 | 7.1 | Strand | 11.6 | 11.6 |
| Paddington | 8.1 | 8.1 | Holborn | 11.1 | 9.7 |
| Chelsea | 7.9 | 7.8 | Clerkenwell | 9.7 | 10.4 |
| St. George, Hanover-square | 7.7 | 6.9 | St. Luke | 9.7 | 10.7 |
| Westminster | 9.6 | 9.9 | London, City of | 7.8 | 7.1 |
| St. James | 9.9 | 9.6 | |||
| East— | |||||
| North— | Shoreditch | 8.3 | 9.0 | ||
| Marylebone | 9.6 | 9.2 | Bethnal-green | 7.6 | 7.2 |
| Hampstead | 7.7 | 7.1 | Whitechapel | 9.4 | 10.2 |
| Pancras | 9.5 | 9.5 | St. George-in-the-East | 8.1 | 8.6 |
| Islington | 8.3 | 8.4 | Limehouse | 7.3 | 8.1 |
| Hackney | 6.7 | 6.9 | Mile-end Old-town | 7.5 | 7.6 |
| Poplar | 7.6 | 7.5 | |||