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

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London County Council 1901

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

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10
The following table enables comparison to be made of the death rates of London with
the death-rates of several foreign cities1—

All causes—Death rates per 1,000 living.

Towns.1891-1900.1901.Towns.1891-1900.1901.
London19.6217.62St. Petersburg28.324.1
Paris20.618.6Berlin19.018.0
Brussels18.715.8Vienna22.319.7
Amsterdam17.915.2Rome19.820.0
Copenhagen18.818.1New York21.720.0
Stockholm18.416.8

It will be seen that in the period 1891-1900 the London death rate was lower than that
of any of these towns, except Brussels, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Stockholm and Berlin, and in
1901 was lower than that of any except Brussels, Amsterdam and Stockholm.
Rates of mortality in the several metropolitan boroughs.
In previous annual reports I have published a " factor for correction for differences
in the age and sex constitution of the population" for each of the sanitary areas of London,
based upon the age and sex constitution of the respective populations as enumerated
at the census of 1891. The recent census report provides the material for re-calculating these
factors on the more recent data of 1901. The method of calculation is similar to that employed
by the Registrar-General in dealing with the statistics of the large towns of England and
Wales, and may be briefly described as follows—
Given (1) Age and sex distribution of population of district A at last census ;
(2) Death rate for each sex at each age period in England and Wales in the
last decennium.
To find factor for correcting the crude death rate of A for differences of age and sex
distribution between A and England and Wales.
Applying (1) to (2) gives standard death rate for A, say x, i.e., a death rate which would
be correct on the assumption that the rates of mortality at each age-period and for each sex were
indentical with the mean rates in England and Wales in the last decennium.
The difference between x and the death rate for England and Wales, say y, will on the
above assumption be entirely due to differences in the age and sex constitution of the two
populations concerned, and -j will therefore represent the factor for correcting the crude
death rate of A.
The new series of factors thus calculated relate to the several metropolitan boroughs,
those previously used in my annual reports related to the sanitary areas of London as they
existed prior to the London Government Act of 1899. It would be interesting to compare the
present series of factors with those previously used, but owing to the changes in area consequent
upon the operation of the new Act it is impossible to compare the factors for all the areas
involved, in this manner. The following table, however, enables comparison to be made in the
case of several districts, the areas of which have been but slightly altered by the Act of 1899—
Area.
1891 factor.
1901 factor.
Kensington 1.10184 1.06710
Hammersmith 1.06094 1.04144
Fulham 1.04817 1.04623
St. Marylebone 1.07464 1.07466
Hampstead 1.15153 1.12378
St. Pancras 1.07043 1.05350
Islington 1.06983 1.03670
Hackney 1.04645 1.03610
City of London 1.15015 1.21944
Shoreditch 1.03794 1.02042
Bethnal-green 1.04133 1.01190
Poplar 1.03569 1.01529
Lambeth 1.04989 1.03199
Battersea 1.07584 1.07403
Wandsworth 1.06804 1.04323
Camberwell 1.05801 1.03316
London 1.06626 1.05107
The table shows that the changes in the " factors for correction" have all been
in the same direction with the single exception of that relating to the City of London ; in
1 All death-rates in this report relating to foreign cities are calculated upon figures published by the Registrar-General.
2 See footnote (.), page 9.