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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15
Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
London had therefore (comparing the corrected death-rates), in the quinquennium 1905-9 a
lower death-rate than any of these towns except Bristol and Leicester, and in 1910, a lower rate
than all except Bristol, West Ham and Leicester.
The following table enables comparison to be made of the crude death-rate of London with that of several foreign towns:—
| Town. | 1905-9. | 1910. | Town. | 1905-9. | 1910. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stockholm | 15.0 | 14.6 | |||
| Greater London | 14.1 | 12.4 | St. Petersburg | 25.6 | 24.1 |
| Paris | 17.7 | 16.7 | Berlin | 15.8 | 14.7 |
| Brussels | 14.2 | 13.6 | Vienna | 17.7 | 15.8 |
| Amsterdam | 13.4 | 12.2 | Rome | 19.1 | 18.5 |
| Copenhagen | 15.6 | 14.2 | New York | 17.6 | 16.0 |
Death-rates
in foreign
towns.
It will be seen from the foregoing table that in the quinquennium l905-9 the London death-rate
was exceeded by the death-rates of Paris, Copenhagen, St. Petersburg, Berlin, Vienna, Rome and
New York, and in 1910 was lower than that of any except Brussels and Amsterdam.
The following table shows the mean death-rates obtaining in London at the several age-periods
and for each sex in the decennium 1891-1900 and in the year 1910. The figures for the year 1910 are fully
corrected for institution deaths (see footnote (c), page 8), and the rates for the decennium 1891-1900 are based upon figures which have been corrected for institution deaths on the basis of the experience of the four years 1897-1900; a fuller discussion of this point will be found in the London Life Table appended to my report for the year 1901. (b)
| Age-period. | Males. | Females. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean death-rate 1891-1900. | Death-rate 1910. | Difference per cent. | Mean death-rate 1891-1900. | Death -rate 1910. | Difference per cent. | |
| 0— | 71.97 | 40.41 | —43.9 | 61.99 | 33.86 | —45.4 |
| 5— | 4.97 | 3.07 | —38.2 | 5.17 | 2.87 | —44.5 |
| 10— | 2.46 | 1.74 | —29.3 | 2.48 | 1.74 | —29.8 |
| 15— | 3.47 | 2.34 | —32.6 | 2.94 | 2.13 | —27.6 |
| 20— | 4.59 | 3.01 | —34.4 | 3.46 | 2.21 | —36.1 |
| 25— | 7.36 | 4.77 | —35.2 | 5.65 | 3.47 | —38.6 |
| 35— | 14.22 | 9.66 | —32.1 | 10.68 | 7.31 | —31.6 |
| 45— | 23.14 | 18.82 | —18.7 | 17.12 | 13.24 | —22.7 |
| 55— | 40.68 | 35.89 | —11.8 | 31.01 | 25.29 | —18.4 |
| 65— | 77.78 | 77.32 | —0.6 | 63.44 | 56.61 | —10.8 |
| 75— | 154.13 | 149.96 | — 2.7 | 134.56 | 121.98 | — 9.3 |
| 85 and upwards | 284.10 | 332.72 | + 17.1 | 265.77 | 300.94 | + 13.2 |
London
mortality
in 1910 compared
with
the mortality
in the
decennium
1891.1900.
It will be seen from this table that the rate of mortality in 1910 was considerably lower than that
of the period 1891.1900 at each age-period of life and for each sex, except at the period 85 and
upwards.
In previous annual reports it has been shown that a more accurate estimate of the effect on
the community of fluctuations of mortality could be obtained by the use of a Life Table, the method
adopted being similar to that employed by Dr. Tatham in a report on the health of greater Manchester
for the period 1891-3. The advantages of this method and the formulae used are set out in some
detail in the London Life Table appended to the annual report for 1901. It will be seen from the
description therein contained that in order to apply this method of comparison it is necessary in the
first place to ascertain from the Life Table the mean future lifetime of males and females in groups of
ages corresponding to those age-groups to which the deaths relate. The following table shows the
results thus obtained from the London Life Table, 1891-1900:—
| Age-group. | Mean future lifetime, 1891-1900. | Age-group. | Mean future lifetime, 1891-1900. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Males. | Females. | Males. | Females. | ||
| Years. | Years. | Years. | Years. | ||
| 0— | 50.16 | 53.66 | 35— | 23.98 | 26.89 |
| 5— | 49.89 | 53.48 | 45— | 17.75 | 20.04 |
| 10— | 45.61 | 49.30 | 55— | 12.35 | 13.93 |
| 15— | 41.26 | 44.94 | 65— | 7.98 | 8.90 |
| 20— | 37.05 | 40.62 | 75— | 4.91 | 5.37 |
| 25— | 31.05 | 34.39 | 85 and upwards | 3.02 | 319 |
(a) See footnote (c) page 8.
(b) In the calculation of the death-rates at ages in this and the following tables the assumption is made that the
age constitution of the population has remained constant since the census of 1901; it is however certain that some
change has occurred and the rates calculated on this assumption can therefore only be regarded as approximate.