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7
annual rate of 3.095* per cent ,or 1 death to every 32 persons;
but in the decennium 1841—50, it fell to 2.6 per cent., or
1 death to each 38. I shall presently show that, since 1850,
life has further improved. To contrast Bethnal Green with
other localities, to test the life differences of high and low
levels, wealth and destitution, density and space, sewerage
and sewerage wants, I have selected certain London Districts
from the Registrar-General's 16th Report. These Districts
are shown in Table 4 of Appendix, in which column 5 gives
the death-rate per 1000; column 6—the excess over 17 per
1000, or the number of preventible deaths. Lewisham alone
among the London Divisions, reached that zenith of health,
and had no greater loss. Applied to ourselves, Table 4 tells
that we, with more space to our population, suffered three
times the excess of the City of London, and almost doubled
that of the densely crowded Strand. It tells too, that in 10
years, we lost 7393 persons more than would have died, had
we not exceeded the Lewisham rate. With favouring conditions
of soil elevation, a beautiful Park, and an open eastern
contour—on what, it may be asked, did our excess depend?
Probably, in great part, on our sewerage-wants, and the unpaved
saturated state of many of our Gardens, By-ways, and
Courts. Such was our standard up to 1851. If we now add
together the deaths in 1851—56, and calculate their ratio by
the formula given below† the per centage resulting is 2.307,
or 1 death to each 43. In those years, many sewers were
made, and life rose proportionally, in Bethnal Green. Again,
if we compare the Sub-district mortality in 1841 and 1843,
with that in 1851 and 1853, we arrive at this striking fact,
that while the deaths of the Hackney Road, Green, and Church
Sub-divisions advanced, those of the Town became less:—
the death proportions being, in Hackney Road +111; in
* Registrar-General's First Annual Report.
Population
1851.
90193
Deaths in
6 years
12489/6
Persons.
100 x: =1248900/541168
Death-Rate
obtained
2.307.
This formula is deduced from page 159 of the Registrar-General's 9th Annual Report.