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 1901
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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20
Table XII.
| Age-groups. | Males. | Females. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population. | Life capital. | Population. | Life capital. | |
| 0— | 248,372 | 12,458,340 | 249,884 | 13,408,775 |
| 5— | 223,040 | 11,127,466 | 225,285 | 12,048,242 |
| 10— | 206,698 | 9,427,496 | 210,698 | 10,387,411 |
| 15— | 202,502 | 8,355,233 | 225,380 | 10,128,577 |
| 20— | 204,616 | 7,581,023 | 246,180 | 9,999,832 |
| 25— | 350,723 | 10,889,949 | 408,286 | 14,040,956 |
| 35— | 261,854 | 6,279,259 | 290,163 | 7,802,483 |
| 45— | 183,125 | 3,250,469 | 205,758 | 4,123,390 |
| 55— | 107,870 | 1,332,194 | 131,036 | 1,825,331 |
| 65— | 52,470 | 418,711 | 74,752 | 665,293 |
| 75— | 15,422 | 75,722 | 27,248 | 146,322 |
| 85 and upwards | 1,615 | 4,877 | 3,831 | 12,221 |
| All ages | 2,058,307 | 71,200,739 | 2,298,501 | 84,588,833 |
From the figures in this table the average "life capital" of each member of the population
may be ascertained for if the total life capital be divided by the total population the result will
give the average "life capital" or "future lifetime" of each member of the population; the
amount per cent, of this life capital expended per annum may also be easily calculated as this figure
is obviously equal to 100/average life capital. The result of these calculations is shown in the following
average lite capital
table—
| Mean population, 1891-1900. | Total life capital of the population. | Average life capital of the population. | Proportion per cent. of life capital expended in a year. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Persons | 4,356,808 | 155,789,572 | 35.76 | 2.797 |
| Males | 2,058,307 | 71,200,739 | 3459 | 2.891 |
| Females | 2,298,501 | 84,588,833 | 36.80 | 2.717 |
From this table it would appear that so long as the age and sex constitution of the population
and the death rates at the various age periods remain the same as in the decennium 1891-1900 the
average life capital of the population of London is 35.76 years, and the expenditure of this capital per
annum is 2.797 per cent.
Another interesting application of the "life table" is a comparison of the number of years of
life added by the births in the community with the number of years of life expended bv the community.
The mean expectation of life at birth in London is shown by the life table to be 40 98 years
in the case of males and 45.33 years in the case of females. If these figures be applied to the total
births in the decennium 1891.1900 the result will show the number of years of life added to the
"life capital" of the population, and the estimated mean population X 10 will give the number of
years of life expended by the population during the same period. These figures are shown in the
following table —
| Sex. | Births in 1891-1900. | Mean future lifetime. | Years of life added by births in 1891-1900. | Years of life expended by the population, 1891-1900. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Males | 677,482 | 40.98 | 27,763,212 | 20,583,066 |
| Females | 653,232 | 45.33 | 29,611,007 | 22,985,014 |
| Persons | 1,330,714 | — | 57,374,219 | 43,568,080 |
It will be seen from this table that the years of life added to the "life capital" of the
population of London in the decennium 1891-1900 exceeds the years of "life capital" expended by
13,806,139; in other words, for every 100 years of "life capital" expended 132 years were added
by births occurring in the community. A similar calculation for England and Wales in the
decennium 1881-90 shows that for every 100 years of "life capital" expended by the population in
England and Wales 147 years of "life capital" were added by the births. The results obtained for
England and Wales would probably bear even more favourable comparison with the figures shown
for London if the facts for the decennium 1891-1900 were available.
Shirley F. Murphy,
Medical Officer of Health.