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 1907
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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The death-rate in successive periods has been as follows :—
| Period. | Death-rate (All Causes) per 1,000 persons living. | Period. | Death-rate (All Causes) per 1,000 persons living. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1841-50 | 24.8 | 1902 | 17.21 |
| 1851-60 | 23.7 | 1903 | 15.21 |
| 1861-70 | 24.4 | 1904 | 16.11 |
| 1871-80 | 22.5 | 1905 | 15.11 |
| 1881-90 | 20.5 | 1906 | 15.11 |
| 1891-1900 | 19.11 | 1907 | 14.61 |
| 1901 | 17.11 |
The death-rate in each year since 1840 in relation to the mean death-rate of the period
1841-1907 is shown in diagram III. This death-rate is the lowest recorded since the institution of
civil registration.
The following table has been prepared for the purpose of comparing the death-rate of London
with those of other English towns having populations which exceeded 200,000 persons at the census
of 1901. The columns showing " death-rates corrected for age and sex: distribution " have been
obtained by multiplying the crude death-rates by the "factors for correction" published by the
Registrar-General in the Annual Summary for 1907.
| Town. | Estimated Population (middle of 1907.) | Crude death-rate per 1,000 persons living. | Death-rate per 1,000 persons living (corrected for age and sex distribu- tion). | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1897-1906. | 1907. | 1897-1906, | 1907. | ||
| London | 4,758,218 | 17.41 | 14.61 | 18.31 | 15.31 |
| Liverpool | 746,144 | 22.3 | 19.0 | 23.9 | 20.3 |
| Manchester | 643,148 | 21.5 | 18.1 | 24.0 | 20.2 |
| Birmingham | 553,155 | 19.4 | 16.2 | 20.9 | 17.4 |
| Leeds | 470,268 | 18.2 | 15.3 | 19.9 | 16.7 |
| Sheffield | 455,553 | 19.1 | 17.1 | 20.6 | 18.4 |
| Bristol | 367,979 | 16.2 | 13.2 | 16.6 | 13.6 |
| West Ham2 | 308,284 | 17.2 | 14.6 | 18.4 | 15.6 |
| Bradford | 290,323 | 17.1 | 14.8 | 18.9 | 16.4 |
| Newcastle-on-Tyne | 272,969 | 20.2 | 15.9 | 21.8 | 17.1 |
| Hull | 266,762 | 18.1 | 16.1 | 18.6 | 16.5 |
| Nottingham | 257,489 | 17.9 | 17.5 | 18.9 | 18.4 |
| Salford | 236,670 | 21.3 | 17.7 | 23.5 | 19.6 |
| Leicester | 236,124 | 16.0 | 12.7 | 17.1 | 13.6 |
London had therefore (comparing the corrected death-rates) both in the decennium 1897-1906,
and the year 1907 a lower death-rate than any of these towns except Bristol and Leicester.
The following table enables comparison to be made of the death-rates of London with the
death-rates of several foreign towns3:—
| Town. | 1897-1906. | 1907 | Town. | 1897-1906. | 1907. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 17.41 | 14.6l | St. Petersburg | 25.0 | 24.7 |
| Paris | 18.6 | 18.5 | Berlin | 17.3 | 15.4 |
| Brussels | 15.8 | 13.7 | Vienna | 19.5 | 17.3 |
| Amsterdam | 15.2 | 13.4 | Rome | 19.1 | 18.2 |
| Copenhagen | 16.9 | 15.2 | New York | 19.4 | 18.5 |
| Stockholm | 16.0 | 13.9 |
It will be seen from the foregoing table that in the decennium 1897-1906 the London deathrate
was exceeded by the death-rates of Paris, St. Petersburg, Vienna, Rome and New York, and in
1907 was lower than that of any except Brussels, Amsterdam and Stockholm.
1 These death-rates are fully corrected for institutions, i.e., by the exclusion of deaths of persons not belonging
to, but occurring in, institutions situated within London, and by the inclusion of deaths of persons belonging to
London, but occurring in London institutions situated outside the Administrative County.
2 As extended in 1905.
All death-rates in this report relating to foreign towns are calculated upon figures published by the RegistrarGeneral.