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9
They alone, therefore, constituted 551.7 out of every 1000
deaths, and 83.5 of each 1000 living at those years of life.
Throughout England and Wales, in the years 1838—47, such
deaths formed only 394 out of every 1000, while the proportion
to every 1000 living during 1845—54, was less than 69.
If on the other hand, we estimate our sanitary condition by the
Births and Deaths below the age of 1, our life and death accounts
stood thus in 1857:—3854 Births, and 624 Deaths,
or as 6 to 1. In England the mortality of the like period
is to the births "as 2 to 8, and in healthy country districts
as about 2 to 10" Sixty-two per cent. of the total deaths happened
under the age of 20, 493 adults died at 20—60, or
prematurely, and 216 or 94 per 1000 lived beyond threescore
years and ten. The numbers who passed over 80 years were
66, or 1 in every 34.7 deaths,—and of those who exceeded
90, 5, or 1 in 458. Two nonagenarian females died at 93 and
94 years: the one in the Workhouse, the other in Grigg's
Almshouses, near Whitechapel Road. Table 5 exhibits " the
law of mortality " of our population, or " the numbers dying
out of a given number living." It illustrates—notwithstanding
our high death rate under the age of 5—that the numbers
of the dying to the living were lower generally than the
London ratios in 1855. In the Registrar General's Weekly
Return of January 2nd, of that year, it is stated that, " the
annual mortality of London, except in periods of great epidemics,
is at the rate of 31 in 1000 among the children and young
persons under 20 years of age ; 10 in 1000 among men and
women of the second age (20—40); 23 in 1000 among persons
of the third age (40—60); 72 in 1000 among persons
of the fourth age (60—80) ; and 224 in 1000 among persons
of the age 80 and upwards." With us the proportions were—
at the 1st age, 29—at the 2nd, barely 7—at the 3rd, 16—at
the 4th, 57—and at the 5th age, 177. Hence, by this " unimpeachable
test of the relative duration of life," Bethnal Green
stood well in 4 out of the 5 vicenniads at every age above 5