London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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London County Council 1896

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]

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All causes.

Towns.Estimated population middle of 1896.Crude death rate per 1,000 liying.Death rate per 1,000 living (corrected for age and sex distribution).
1886.95.1896.1886.95.1896.
London4,421,95520.118.6221.419.8
Manchester529,56125.622.629.025.6
Liverpool632,51226.022.728.524.9
Birmingham501,24120.720.822.923.0
Leeds402,44921.218.823520.8
Sheffield347,27821.619.324.021.5
West Ham261,29718.316.119.717.4
Bristol230,62319.216.920.117.7
Nottingham229,77519.417.520.918.8
Bradford228,80920.316.523.218.9
Hull220,84420.118.921.119.9
Salford210,70724.922.628.025.4

London had, therefore, (comparing the corrected death.rates) in 1896 a lower death rate than
that of any of these towns except West 11am, Bristol, Nottingham and Bradford, and in the period
1886.95, a lower death rate than any except West Ham, Bristol, Nottingham and Hull.

The following table enables comparison to be made of the death rate of London with those of several foreign cities—* All causes.—Death rates per 1,000 living.

Towns.1886.95.1896.Towns.1886.95.1896.
London20118'62St. Petersburg29.630.9
Paris22.5190Berlin210179
Brussels207182Vienna24.222 3
Amsterdam20.817.4Rome ...23.3191
Copenhagen21116.8New York24.6214
Stockholm19816.8

It will be seen that whereas the death rate in London in 1886.95 was lower than any of these
cities except Stockholm, in 1896 it exceeded the death rates of Brussels, Amsterdam, Copenhagen
Stockholm and Berlin.

The following table shows the crude death rates and the death rates corrected for differences in the age and sex constitution of the populations, obtaining in each of the sanitary districts of London for the year 1896, and the period 1886.95— Crude and corrected death rates3 per 1,000 persons living in sanitary districts of London.

Sanitary area.Standard death rate.Factor for correction for age and sex distribution.Crude death rate, 1886.95.Corrected death rate, 1886.95.Comparative mortality figure, 1886.95. (London 1,000.)Crude death rate, 1896.Corrected .death rate, 1896.Comparative mortality figure, 1896. (London 1,000.)
England and Wales19.15
London17.9610662619.7210100018 l11931000
Battersea17.801.0758417.719.0984
Bermondsey18.101.0580122.423.71,12921.622.91,187
Bethnal-green18.891.0418823.124.11,14822.123.01,192
Camberwell18.101.0580118.419.592917.818.8974
Chelsea17.951.0668520.821.71,08318.820.11,041
Clerkenwell17.281.1082228.025.51,21420.722.91,187
Fulham18.271.04817_17.618.4958
Greenwich18.631.0279119.319.894818.519.0984
Hackney18.301.04645_15.716.4850
Hammersmith18.05106094_17.218.2948
Hampstead16.631.1515812.414.368111.918.7710
Holborn17.621.0868825.527.71,81923.425.41,816
Islington17.901.0698818019.891917.118.8948
Kensington17.881.1018417.018.789016.818.5959
Lambeth18.241.0498919.520.597616.917.7917

1 See footnote (1), page 7.
2 Including deaths of Londoners in the Metropolitan Workhouses, Hospitals, and Lunatic Asylums situated outside Registration
London, but excluding deaths of persons not belonging to London occurring in the Highgate Smallpox Hospital, in the London Fever
Hospital, in the Middlesex County Lunatic Asylum at Wandsworth, and in the Metropolitan Asylums Boards Hospitals within
Registration London.
3 All death rates in this report relating to London Sanitary Districts are fully corrected for institutions. (See footnote (1), page 7)
* All death.rates in this report relating to foreign cities are calculated upon figures published by the Registrar.General.