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 1897
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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was a small increase in the number of residents. The decrease has at each census been most marked
in the two sub-districts adjoining the City of London, and is doubtless largely accounted for by the
substitution of business premises for inhabited houses. The clearances made in connection with the
widening of Golden-lane in and after 1877 must have displaced a number of residents from this part
of the district, but decrease in the population from this cause has probably been counterbalanced by
the erection of the large number of blocks of artizans' dwellings now existing in the streets at either
side of Whitecross-street.
The average number of residents to each acre in 1871, 1881, 1891 and 1896 was 232, 198,
179 and 175 respectively, in London the corresponding number in 1896 was 59. The average number
to each inhabited house in St. Luke in 1871, 1881 and 1891 was 9'3, 9'7 and 10-7 respectively, and in
the county of London 7*7 persons.
The age constitution of the population at the date or the loyi census was a! follows—
| Age period. | 0— | 6— | 10— | 15— | 20— | 15— | 35— | 45— | 55— | 65— | 76— |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Luke— | |||||||||||
| Males, per cent, of population | 6.33 | 5.71 | 5.20 | 5.09 | 4.54 | 7.96 | 6.24 | 4.19 | 2.37 | 1.02 | .24 |
| Females „ „ | 6.70 | 5.88 | 5.30 | 5.21 | 4.85 | 7.77 | 6.37 | 4.19 | 2.88 | 1.48 | .48 |
| London— Males, per cent, of population | 5.92 | 5.36 | 4.90 | 4.69 | 4.61 | 7.92 | 5.85 | 4.11 | 2.35 | 1.20 | .37 |
| Females „ „ | 5.99 | 5.42 | 4.99 | 5.21 | 5.56 | 9.11 | 6.49 | 4.64 | 2.92 | 1.72 | .69 |
Compared with London there is in St. Luke a greater proportion of persons under 20 years ot
age, the excess being most marked at the younger ages ; above 20 years the proportion is less than in
London generally.
In the following table the rates of births and deaths per 1,000 persons in St. Luke are given for recent years. For the purpose of comparison, the corresponding rates in the adjoining districts of Clerkenwell and Holborn, as well as in London generally, are also given.
| Birth rate. | Death rate. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London. | St. Luke. | Holborn. | Clerkenwell. | London. | St. Luke. | Holborn. | Clerkenwell. | |
| 1891 | 31.8 | 45.5 | 27.7 | 33.6 | 22.4 | 32.8 | 33.6 | 27.8 |
| 1892 | 30.9 | 45.2 | 27.1 | 32.9 | 2.6 | 27.9 | 29.9 | 27.2 |
| 1893 | 31.0 | 42.2 | 26.8 | 31.9 | 22.4 | 33.0 | 29.9 | 29.2 |
| 1894 | 30.1 | 45.0 | 26.2 | 33.0 | 18.6 | 24.9 | 22.6 | 20.8 |
| 1895 | 30.6 | 45.8 | 26.2 | 31.5 | 20.8 | 31.8 | 28.1 | 25.0 |
| 1896 | 30.2 | 46.7 | 28.1 | 33.7 | 19.3 | 27.1 | 25.7 | 23.2 |
The rates have been corrected by exclusion of non-residents dying in the district, and inclusion
of deaths of residents dying in outlying institutions, as well as for age and sex distribution. Dr. Yarrow,
the medical officer of health, in his annual reports to the vestry, points out that a number of mothers
of children born in the City-road Lying-in Hospital are not permanent residents in the parish; if
allowance be made for these the birth rates are considerably lowered, but still remain higher than
those Drevailiner in London generally.
The deaths from the principal zymotic diseases, and of children under one year of age, give the following rates—
| * Zymotic death rate per 1,000 living. | Deaths under one year old per 1,000 births. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London. | St. Luke. | Holborn. | Clerkenwell. | London. | St. Luke. | Holborn. | Clerkenwell. | |
| 1891 | 2.27 | 2.82 | 4.36 | 4.35 | 153 | 159 | 228 | 170 |
| 1892 | 2.80 | 3.09 | 3.00 | 2.86 | 154 | 142 | 211 | 172 |
| 1893 | 3.04 | 5.53 | 3.38 | 4.83 | 163 | 174 | 214 | 202 |
| 1894 | 2.65 | 2.08 | 2.55 | 2.63 | 143 | 123 | 180 | 145 |
| 1895 | 2.62 | 5.39 | 2.87 | 3.80 | 165 | 184 | 212 | 192 |
| 1896 | 3.14 | 3.82 | 3.21 | 3.78 | 160 | 154 | 194 | 184 |
| * Smallpox, measles, icarlet fever, diphtheria, whooping cough, fever, diarrhoea. | ||||||||