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 1906
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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of infant mortality obtaining for groups of districts (arranged on the basis of the amount of overcrowding
shown by the census of 1901) can be compared:—
| Age-period. | Proportion of overcrowding1 in groups of sanitary districts. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 7.5 per cent. | 7.5 to 12.5 per cent. | 12.5 to 20.0 per cent. | 20.0 to 27.5 per cent. | Over 27.5 per cent. | |
| Under 1 week | 22.7 | 22.1 | 20.4 | 20.9 | 21.2 |
| 1-2 weeks | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 4.7 | 6.4 |
| 2-3 „ | 5.8 | 5.5 | 5.8 | 6.1 | 6.0 |
| 3-4 „ | 3.8 | 4.8 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.1 |
| Under 1 month | 38.0 | 38.1 | 36.2 | 36.0 | 37.7 |
| 1-2 months | 11.9 | 13.2 | 14.2 | 13.3 | 14.8 |
| 2-3 „ | 9.1 | 9.8 | 12.4 | 10.8 | 14.7 |
| 3-4 „ | 8.3 | 10.2 | 10.3 | 11.5 | 10.8 |
| 4-5 „ | 7.4 | 8.8 | 8.6 | 8.7 | 9.4 |
| 5-6 „ | 6.9 | 9.1 | 8.5 | 7.6 | 10.1 |
| 6-7 „ | 6.9 | 8.1 | 7.3 | 7.5 | 8.6 |
| 7-8 „ | 5.2 | 7.2 | 7.6 | 7.2 | 8.9 |
| 8-9 „ | 5.0 | 7.3 | 6.6 | 6.4 | 7.9 |
| 9-10 „ | 4.8 | 6.6 | 7.1 | 8.1 | 8.8 |
| 10-11 „ | 3.7 | 6.3 | 6.0 | 5.9 | 8.4 |
| 11-12 „ | 4.9 | 6.5 | 5.8 | 6.8 | 7.4 |
| 0-3 months | 59.0 | 61.1 | 62.8 | 60.1 | 67.2 |
| 3-6 „ | 22.6 | 28.1 | 27.4 | 27.8 | 30.3 |
| 6-9 „ | 17.1 | 22.6 | 21.5 | 21.1 | 25.4 |
| 9-12 „ | 13.4 | 19.4 | 18.9 | 20.8 | 24.6 |
| 0-12 months | 112.1 | 131.2 | 130.6 | 129.8 | 147.5 |
It will be seen from the foregoing table that there is a marked difference in the mortality among
children under one year of age when the least and most over crowded groups of districts are compared.
This agrees with the figures in a corresponding table published in my last annual report dealing with the
year 1905. If the figures for each of the trimesters are considered in this connection, it will be
seen that the same behaviour of the mortality is observable, but the differences in the mortality between
the least and most overcrowded groups is least marked in the first three months of life and increasingly
marked in each of the succeeding periods of life. This will be better appreciated by reference to the
following table, in which the mortality of the least overcrowded group of districts is taken as 100:—
| Number of group of districts in order of overcrowding. | Comparative mortality figure. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children aged 0-3 months. | Children aged 3-6 months. | Children aged 6-9 months. | Children aged 9-12 months. | |
| I. | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| II. | 104 | 124 | 132 | 145 |
| III. | 106 | 121 | 126 | 141 |
| IV. | 102 | 123 | 123 | 155 |
| V. | 114 | 134 | 149 | 184 |
These figures are in agreement with those published in my last annual report, and the experience
of a further year suggests that the results are not accidental. The small variation in the mortality
shown for the several groups among children aged 0-3 months may possibly be due to more complete
registration of births aud deaths in the better circumstanced districts. The registration of deaths of
young children has probably been more complete in recent years, and any improvement which may have
taken place in this respect would presumably be more marked in the better-circumstanced districts
in London.
The following figures, showing the deaths of children aged 0-1, 1-2, and 2-3, 3-6, 6-9 and
9-12 months per cent. of the deaths of children aged under one year in the periods 1839-46
1 The term "overcrowding" is used to apply to that proportion of the population shown by the census figures
of 1901 to be living more than two in a room in tenements of less than five rooms.
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