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 1898
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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2
Births.
The number of births registered in the Administrative County of London in 1898 (52 weeks)
was 132,873, giving a birth rate per annum of 29.4 per 1,000 persons living; this being the lowest
birth rate on record in London.
The birth-rate in successive periods has been as follows—
| 1851-60 | 33.6 | 1891 | 31.8* | 1895 | 30.6* |
| 1861-70 | 35.4 | 1892 | 30.9* | 1896 | 30.2* |
| 1871-80 | 35.4 | 1893 | 31.0* | 1897 | 30.0* |
| 1881-90 | 33.2 | 1894 | 30.1* | 1898 | 29.4* |
The corresponding figures for England and Wales are as follows—
| 1851-60 | 34.2 | 1891 | 31.4 | 1895 | 30.4 | |
| 1861-70 | 35.2 | 1892 | 30.5 | 1896 | 29.7 | |
| 1871-80 | 35.5 | 1893 | 30.8 | 1897 | 29.7 | |
| 1881-90 | 32.5 | 1894 | 29.6 |
The accompanying diagram (II.) shows the London birth rate in each year since 1850 in
relation to the mean birth rate of the period 1851-98.
During the year the eastern group of districts had the highest birth rate (36.7); the western
the lowest (24.5); the northern, central and southern groups having birth rates of 27.5, 28.9 and 29-9
respectively. As in the preceding year, the district having the highest birth rate was St. Luke (45.2),
and the district having the lowest birth rate was St.Martins in the Fields(14.4).
The following table shows the birth rate in each district in 1898, per 1,000 persons living and per 100 females aged 15 to 45 years—
| Sanitary district. | Births. | Birth rate per 1,000 living. | Births per 100 females aged 15-45. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paddington | 2,967 | 23.3 | 7.0 |
| Kensington | 3,633 | 21.2 | 6.0 |
| Hammersmith | 3,026 | 28.3 | 10.5 |
| Fulham | 4,307 | 34.5 | 13.2 |
| †Chelsea | 2,332 | 24.2 | 9.0 |
| St. George, Hanover-square | 1,411 | 17.6 | 5.0 |
| Westminster | 1,081 | 20.6 | 7.8 |
| St. James | 446 | 20.1 | 7.0 |
| †Marylebone | 4,061 | 28.9 | 9.3 |
| Hampstead | 1,516 | 19.3 | 5.3 |
| Pancras | 6,857 | 28.2 | 10.9 |
| Islington | 9,442 | 27.5 | 10.4 |
| Stoke Newington | 839 | 24.3 | 8.0 |
| Hackney | 6,445 | 29.4 | 11.0 |
| †St. Giles | 1,026 | 27.4 | 9.7 |
| St.Martin-in-the-Fields | 179 | 14.4 | 5.0 |
| Strand | 496 | 21.4 | 7.8 |
| Holborn | 807 | 26.9 | 10.7 |
| Clerkenwell | 2,072 | 31.4 | 12.9 |
| †St. Luke | 1,853 | 45.2 | 18.7 |
| London, City of | 469 | 16.2 | 6.1 |
| Shoreditch | 4,266 | 35.2 | 14.8 |
| Bethnal-green | 4,779 | 37.1 | 16.1 |
| Whitechapel | 3,123 | 38.9 | 16.6 |
| St. George-in-the-East | 2,083 | 43.3 | 19.0 |
| Limehouse | 1,912 | 32.7 | 14.6 |
| †Mile-end Old-town | 4,294 | 38.3 | 16.1 |
| Poplar | 5,907 | 34.8 | 15.9 |
| St. Saviour, Southwark | 739 | 30.2 | 13.6 |
| St. George, South wark | 2,138 | 35.5 | 14.9 |
| Newington | 4,165 | 33.9 | 14.4 |
| St. Olave | 357 | 31.7 | 13.5 |
| Bermondsey | 3,090 | 36.1 | 16.0 |
| Rotherhithe | 1,298 | 31.9 | 14.9 |
| †Lambeth | 9,266 | 30.6 | 11.8 |
| Battersea | 5,157 | 30.1 | 12.6 |
| Wandsworth | 5,186 | 25.7 | 8.8 |
| Camberwell | 7,425 | 28.5 | 11.4 |
| Greenwich | 5,625 | 31.3 | 13.0 |
| Lewisham | 2,758 | 25.1 | 8.5 |
| Woolwich | 1,253 | 30.3 | 15.1 |
| Lee | 891 | 22.5 | 7.4 |
| Plumstead | 1,896 | 30.4 | 13.6 |
| London # | 132,873 | 29.4 | 11.1 |
* The rates for these years relates to the Administrative County of London, the rates shown for years previous to 1891 relate
to the Registration County of London.
† Lying-in hospitals are miuated in ther e districts.