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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| Period. | All causes. | Phthisis. | All causes, less Phthisis. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Death-rate | 1871-80. 100. | Death-rate per 100,000 | 1871-80. 100. | Death-rate | 1871-80. 100. | |
| 1871—80 | 21,637 | 100 | 2,389 | 100 | 19,244 | 100 |
| 1881—90 | 19,161 | 89 | 1,989 | 83 | 17,172 | 89 |
| 1891—00 | 18,402 | 85 | 1,685 | 71 | 16,717 | 87 |
| 1901—05 | 16,882 | 78 | 1,445 | 60 | 15,537 | 80 |
Thus with decline of the phthisis death-rate at all ages there has been decline of the death-rate
from all causes, and from all causes less phthisis ; and if lessons are to be learnt from the behaviour
of phthisis mortality in Ireland, the statistics of that country in this respect should be compared with
those of England and Scotland. It should, of course, be borne in mind that large numbers of uncertified
deaths, and deaths from ill-defined causes included in the Irish figures largely detracts from
their value for comparative purposes in this connection, but the following are the rates obtaining
from the available data.
| Period. | All causes. | Phthisis. | All causes less Phthisis. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Death-rate. | 1871-80. 100. | Death-rate. | 1871-80. 100. | Death-rate. | 1871-80. 100. | |
| 1871—80 | 18,244 | 100 | 1,954 | 100 | 16,290 | 100 |
| 1881—90 | 17,942 | 98 | 2,099 | 107 | 15,843 | 97 |
| 1891—00 | 18,321 | 100 | 2,134 | 109 | 16,187 | 99 |
| 1901—05 | 17,602 | 96 | 2,153 | 110 | 15,449 | 95 |
Ireland, therefore, differs from England and Scotland in the fact that while the death-rate from
phthisis has somewhat increased in Ireland, the death-rate from all causes, and from all causes less
phthisis, does not manifest the same decline as in England and Scotland.
The facts are more conspicuous when the mortality at ages 20-65 years are examined, the age
period ^t which phthisis mortality especially occurs. Thus :—
| Period. | All causes. | Phthisis. | All causes less Phthisis. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Death-rate. | 1871-80. 100. | Death-rate. | 1871-80. 100. | Death-rate. | 1871-80. 100. | |
| 1871—80 | 13,660 | 100 | 3,333 | 100 | 10,327 | 100 |
| 1881—90 | 12,489 | 92 | 2,735 | 82 | 9,754 | 94 |
| 1891—00 | 11,660 | 85 | 2,177 | 65 | 9,483 | 92 |
| 1901—05 | 10,328 | 76 | 1,884 | 57 | 8,444 | 82 |
| Period. | All causes. | Phthisis. | All causcs less Phthisis. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Death-rate. | 1871-80. 100. | Death-rate. | 1871-80. 100. | Death-rate. | 1871-80. 100. | |
| 1871—80 | 12,713 | 100 | 2,966 | 100 | 9,747 | 100 |
| 1881—90 | 12,975 | 102 | 3,120 | 105 | 9,855 | 101 |
| 1891—00 | 13,077 | 102 | 3,144 | 106 | 9,933 | 102 |
| 1901—05 | 12,668 | 99 | 3,105 | 104 | 9,563 | 98 |
Ireland, therefore, has maintained not only its high death-rate from phthisis but its high deathrate
from all causes less phthisis. Phthisis, indeed, so far as the figures can be trusted, has in one
respect behaved in Ireland as phthisis does in England, i.e. the mortality from this disease has behaved
much in the same way as the mortality from all causes less phthisis.
In seeking explanation of the maintenance of phthisis mortality in Ireland, and of the decline
of phthisis mortality in England, it is impossible to ignore the behaviour in the two countries
of the mortality from all causes less phthisis. There is, indeed, much reason for thinking that