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 1910
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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The following table enables comparison to be made of the rates of natural increase of the London population with those of the principal towns of England. It will be observed that in 1910 the rates are below those of the quinquennium in 1905-9 in Leeds, Sheffield, Bristol, Bradford, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Hull and Leicester:—
| Town. | 1905-9. | 1910. | Town. | 1905-9. | 1910. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 11.7a | 11.8a | Bradford | 5.0 | 4.7 |
| Greater London | 12.8 | 12.6 | West Ham | 15.9 | 16.8 |
| Liverpool | 12.8 | 12.8 | Newcastle-on-Tyne | 14.4 | 13.6 |
| Manchester | 10.7 | 11.2 | Hull | 13.7 | 13.6 |
| Birmingham | 12.9 | 13.6 | Nottingham | 10.3 | 11.0 |
| Leeds | 10.7 | 9.4 | Salford | 12.2 | 12.3 |
| Sheffield | 14.1 | 13.9 | Leicester | 11.3 | 11.1 |
| Bristol | 11.4 | 10.9 |
Natural
increaserate
in large
English
towns.
The factors affecting the rates of natural increase in different localities to which reference has been made, probably tend more to vitiate accurate comparison when the populations concerned are of different nationalities, and this should be borne in mind in connection with the following table ( b ), showing the rate of increase in London and certain foreign towns:—
| Town.. | 1905-9. | 1910. | | Town. | 1905-9. | 1910. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11.7a | 11.8a | St. Petersburg | 3.5 | 3.7 | |
| Paris | 0.9 | 1.3 | Berlin | 8.0 | 6.8 |
| Brussels | 3.5 | 3.2 | Vienna | 7.1 | 4.1 |
| Amsterdam | 11.7 | 11.4 | Rome | 4.5 | 5.1 |
| Copenhagen | 12.5 | 11.9 | New York | 9.7 | 10.9 |
| Stockholm | 9.3 | 8.6 |
Natural
increaserate
in
foreign
towns.
The natural increase during the period 1905-9 in New York is probably understated, owing to
incomplete registration of births prior to 1908. It will be noticed that the excess of births over
deaths in 1910 is below the average of the preceding five years in all the foreign towns except Paris,
St. Petersburg, Rome and New York. These rates can only be regarded as approximate, and in making
comparison of one town with another it should be borne in mind that full correction for births and
deaths in institutions might considerably modify the rates of some of the towns.
The number of marriages in the Administrative County of London in 1910, was 39,082 (365 days), giving an annual rate of 17.2 persons married per 1,000 living.
The marriage-rate in successive periods has been as follows—
| Period. | Marriage-rate per 1,000 persons living. | Period. | Marriage-rate per 1,000 persons living. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1851-1860 | 20.6 | 1903 | 17.7 |
| 1861-1870 | 20.3 | 1904 | 17.3 |
| 1871-1880 | 19.1 | 1905 | 17.4 |
| 1881-1890 | 17.6 | 1906 | 17.7 |
| 1891-1900 | 17.8 | 1907 | 17.8 |
| 1901-1910 | 17.4 | 1908 | 16.7 |
| 1909 | 16.8 | ||
| 1901 | 17.6 | 1910 | 17.2 |
| 1902 | 18.0 |
The accompanying diagram (A) shows the marriage-rate in each year since 1850, in relation to
the mean marriage-rate of the period 1851-1910.
In the year 1910 among males 2.9 per cent. married were under 21 years of age, and
among females 10.8 per cent.; the figures for previous years are shown in the following table,
the proportions in England and Wales being also given for the purpose of comparison. It will be
seen that both in London and in England and Wales the proportion of male and female minors in
every 100 marriages has been diminishing for a number of years, but there is some indication of a
pause in the decline in the percentage of male minors:—
Marriages of
minors.
(а) See footnotes (b) and (c) page 8.
(b) All death-rates in this report relating to foreign towns are calculated upon figures published by the Registrar-
General
5176 B