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9
It will be seen from the preceding table that during the decennium 1891-1900, compared
with the decennium 1881-90, there has been a mean annual saving of 3,604 lives, representing
a mean annual saving of 118,483 years of "life capital."
In connection with the reduction of the death rate from all causes it is interesting to note
that this reduction has not been manifested in the death rate from each of these causes. In the
following table is shown the death rate from a number of causes and groups of causes in the
two decennia 1881-90 and 1891-1900—
Cause of death.
Death-rate1 per 1,000 living.
Increase ( + )
or decrease (—)
in 1899-1900
compared with
1881-90.
18811890.
18911900.
All causes 20.38 19.23 — 1.15
Smallpox .12 .00 — .12
Measles .64 .58 — .06
Scarlet fever .33 .17 — .16
Diphtheria .26 .50 + .24
Whooping cough .69 .50 — .19
Typhus .01 .00 — .01
Enteric fever .19 .14 — .05
Simple continued fever .02 .00 — .02
Diarrhoea and Dysentery .75 .76 + .01
Cholera .02 .02 —
Cancer .68 .86 + .18
Tabes Mesenterica .35 .25 — .10
Phthisis 2.08 1.79 — .29
Other Tubercular diseases and .54 .50 — .04
Scrofula
Nervous system, Diseases of the 2.33 1.79 — .54
Circulatory system do. 1.50 1.56 + .06
Respiratory system do. 4.30 3.93 — .37
Digestive system do. 1.12 1.20 + .08
Urinary system do. .51 .54 + .03
Generative system do. .08 .06 — .02
Influenza .02 .34 + .32
Other causes 3.84 3.74 — .10
ln this table, .00 indicates that the deaths were too few to give a rate of .005.
It will be observed that in 1891-1900 there has been marked increase in the death-rate
from diphtheria, cancer and influenza, and slight increase in the death-rates from a few other
causes. On the other hand there has been marked reduction in the death-rate from phthisis and
respiratory diseases and from diseases of the nervous system, as well as less marked decrease in
the death-rates from several other causes.
Infant mortality.
The deaths of children under one year of age in the Administrative County of London during
1900 (52 weeks) numbered 20,773, being in the proportion of 158 per 1,000 births.
The proportion in each year since 1890 has been as follows—
Year.
Deaths under one year
per 1,000 births.
1891
1532
1892
1542
1893
1632
1894
1432
1895
1652
1896
1602
1897
1582
1898
1662
1899
1662
1900
1582
The following table enables comparison to be made of the infant mortality in London and
other large English towns—
1 These death-rates are based upon deaths registered in the Registration County of London, and are uncorrected for deaths
occurring in public institutions.
2 See footnote (1), page 5.