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 1913
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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Report of (he County Medical Office—General.
3
These figures relate to the Comity of London as a whole, but London is divided by the Thames
into two areas in which the character of the local movement is altogether different. London north
of the Thames was in 1891 already so largely built upon that the steadily increasing population could
not be accommodated within the county boundary; and, as a consequence, there has been since then a
continual movement of population from northern London into the adjacent counties of Middlesex and
Essex. On the south side of the Thames, however, there was in 1891 so large a proportion of the area
undeveloped that the outward extension has not overflowed the county boundary during the period
in question to anything iiko tne same extent as on tne nortn side.
Th e figures for the county deserve, therefore, to be shown for these two areas separately, and are as follows:—
| Age-group. | Males. | Females. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London. North of the Thames. | London. South of the Thames. | London. North of the Thames. | London. South of the Thames. | |
| 0— | —19,196 | + 3,588 | —23,435 | + 3,046 |
| 5— | —16,205 | + 5,351 | —16,954 | + 5,571 |
| 10— | —14,479 | + 6,405 | —14,648 | + 6,531 |
| 15— | —12,410 | + 7,471 | —14,560 | + 6,453 |
| ' 20— | —10,693 | + 6,814 | — 7,968 | + 10,360 |
| 25— | + 14 | +28,707 | +11,386 | +35,565 |
| 35— | + 12,832 | +34,029 | +21,005 | +37,634 |
| ; 45— | +14,943 | +25,288 | +17,381 | +27,247 |
| 55— | +13,707 | +18,809 | +10,829 | + 19,396 |
| 65— | + 7,747 | + 9,894 | + 7,740 | +12,232 |
| 75 + | + 2,314 | + 3,153 | / + 4,199 | + 5,957 |
The changes north of the Thames are in marked contrast to those in the southern area, the figures
for the latter being, as would be expected for the reasons mentioned above, much more similar in
character to those for England and Wales.
If, however, there be added to the northern area those extra-London districts into which the outward movement has chiefly taken place, namely the registration county of Middlesex and the districts of West Ham, Epping and Romford in Essex, a grouped northern population is obtained which exhibits changes generally comparable with those in England and Wales:—
| Age-group. | Males. | Females. |
|---|---|---|
| 0— | +31,110 | + 24,803 |
| 5— | +31,899 | + 30,584 |
| 10— | +29,216 | + 30,431 |
| 15— | +29,374 | + 30,648 |
| 20— | +25,391 | + 39,096 |
| 25— | +86,422 | +114,925 |
| 35— | +91,526 | + 108,900 |
| 45— | +67,533 | + 76,205 |
| 55— | +44,757 | + 46,507 |
| 65— | +22,884 | + 28,985 |
| 75— | + 7,091 | + 13,072 |
The figures given above exhibit approximately the relation between the balance of inward and
outward movement in London and in England and Wales respectively. If the population which had
moved into London in the period under consideration had been similar in age-constitution and equal
in number to that lost, the resulting changes in London would have been almost identical with those
shown in England and Wales. The section of the general population, however, which would be most
affected by the absence of additional accommodation within the northern area of London would naturally
consist of families of increasing size, i.e., the families of younger married persons; and it is evident
from the northern figures that the balance of movement has in fact resulted in loss of the younger
population, the loss being progressively less with advancing age. It is, moreover, evident from the
figures shown for London north of the Thames, that at ages 20-45, and more especially 25-35, there
is a very considerable difference between the sexes in the balance of inward and outward movement,
the males at this age having only increased by 14 while the females have increased by 11,386. The
explanation is that London attracts females of this age in greater degree than males. This fact is clearly
apparent from the diagram at page 110 of last year s Annual Report, which shows that at about
this age the female population in London is more greatly in excess of the male population than at
any other period of life; and from figures given in volume vii. of the 1911 census (pp. 1 and 13), it is
seen that while in England and Wales the number of females aged 24-25 exceeded the males of the same
age by 12.1 per cent., the corresponding excess in London was 24.7 per cent.
23610
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