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 1931
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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The figures of mortality from all causes among unmarried and married women are as follows:—
| Age | Deaths in 1911 | Deaths in 1921 (on 1911 population) | Increase (+ ) or Decrease (—) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Per cent. | |||
| 10 | 419 | 402 | - 17 | - 4.1 |
| 15 | 504 | 574 | + 70 | + 13.9 |
| 20 | 478 | 527 | + 49 | + 10.3 |
| 25 | 337 | 358 | + 21 | + 6.2 |
| 30 | 260 | 229 | - 31 | -11.9 |
| 35 | 237 | 195 | - 42 | —17.7 |
| 40-45 | 239 | 207 | - 32 | -13.4 |
| 15 | 8 | 7 | - 1 | -12.5 |
| 20 | 162 | 157 | - 5 | - 3.1 |
| 25 | 424 | 390 | - 34 | - 8.0 |
| 30 | 566 | 494 | - 72 | -12.7 |
| 35 | 771 | 553 | -218 | -28.3 |
| 40-45 | 912 | 622 | -290 | -31.8 |
Thus, practically the whole of the increase in mortality from pulmonary
tuberculosis has been among single women. An obvious explanation of this is that
young women suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis do not marry. It may, however,
reasonably be questioned whether this does, in fact, explain the great divergence
in the figures, as there is at this age-period some proportion of cases of pulmonary
tuberculosis which are unsuspected until within a comparatively short time before
death. The possibility cannot be altogether excluded that the young women most
adversely affected by present conditions are those who do not marry.
It is possible also, bearing in mind the nutrition factor, that, were the mortalityrate
available separately for young employed women living at home and those who
are self-supporting, the latter class would be found to have the higher increase in
mortality.
The mortality-rates of single women have been calculated for each year of life for ages 10 to 25 in the period of 1911 to 1913 and 1921 to 1923 in England and Wales, the result being as follows:—
| Age last birthday | Annual average death rate per 1,000 living at each age(England and Wales) | Increase(+) or decrease(-) in rate | Increase(+) or decerase(-) in per rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1911-1913 | 1921-1923 | |||
| 10 | 1.96 | 1.69 | -.27 | -14 |
| 11 | 1.87 | 1.54 | - .33 | -18 |
| 12 | 1.92 | 1.63 | - .29 | -15 |
| 13 | 2.08 | 1.86 | - .22 | -11 |
| 14 | 2.32 | 2.03 | - .29 | — 12 |
| 15 | 2.47 | 2.30 | - .17 | - 7 |
| 16 | 2.61 | 2.46 | - .15 | - 6 |
| 17 | 2.72 | 2.61 | - .11 | - 4 |
| 18 | 2.62 | 2.66 | +. 04 | + 2 |
| 19 | 2.80 | 2.83 | + .03 | + 1 |
| 20 | 2.77 | 3.00 | + .23 | + 8 |
| 21 | 2.99 | 2.91 | - .08 | - 3 |
| 22 | 2.86 | 3.13 | + .27 | + 9 |
| 23 | 2.84 | 3.04 | + .20 | + 7 |
| 24 | 3.04 | 3.18 | + .14 | + 5 |
| 25-30 | 3.25 | 3.43 | + .18 | + 6 |
| 30-35 | 4.23 | 3.86 | - .37 | - 9 |
These figures show that among women the first sign of the increased mortality
between 1911-13 and 1921-23 appears at the close of school life and becomes