View report page

4
The deaths of males were 108 in excess of those of females. The death
rate of the Borough for 1908 was 17.5* per 1,000 inhabitants, as compared
with 20.6 in 1907, 19.8 in 1906, 19.8 in 1905, 20.6 in 1904, and 19.6 in 190:3.
It was 17 per cent, below the average for the previous ten years, and the lowest
recorded for Shoreditch for over fifty years.
The death-rate of the Metropolis for 1908 was 13.8 that of England and
Wales 14.7, of 76 great towns 15.8, and of 142 smaller towns 14.7 per 1.000
population.
In Tables I., II., IV., V., VI., and VII. (Appendix) are given the causes of
death, and the death-rates for the whole Borough, and for its eight wards
together, with other information bearing upon the mortality amongst the
inhabitants of Shoreditch during the year. A marked reduction in the deathrates
for all the wards, except Kingsland and Haggerston, is noticeable. In
the wards named the rates have remained practically the same as for 1907.
The death-rate was lowest in Acton Ward, and highest in Whitmore, being
13.3 and 23.0 per 1,000 respectively. The latter ward is the most densely
populated in the Borough.
The death-rate of the Borough was above the mean rate for the year
during the first four months, January to April. During May, June, July, and
August it was well below the mean, and for the remainder of the year its
average was about the mean rate for the year. The rate was highest during
the month of January, averaging 23.7, and lowest for the two months, June and
July, when it averaged 12.7 per 1,000. The highest rate for any one week in
the year was that for the first week of May, being 25.6; the lowest was that of
the last week of June, when the rate was only 10.1 per 1,000. The effect of
the mortality due to summer diarrhoea became apparent during the last week
of July. There was a gradual rise in the death-rate until a maximum was
leached in the first week of September. There was then a gradual decline
until the middle of October, when another slight rise began, which lasted
until the middle of December. Then the rate again fell much below the
average. The second elevation of the death-rate was due to an increase in the
mortality from diseases of the respiratory organs. The weekly death-rates
only rose above 20 per 1,000 on four occasions during the year.
The number of infants who died aged under one year was 510, 292 being
males and 218 females, the deaths amounting to between 25 and 26 per cent, of
the total number of deaths of all ages. The proportion of infants under one year
dying during 1908 was at the rate of 138 per 1,000 births belonging to Shoreditch,
registered during the year. This rate is the lowest recorded for Shoreditch
since 1870, and is probably to be accounted for very largely by the
comparatively low mortality from measles, whooping cough, and acute
bronchitis.
* Corrected for age and sex distribution the death-rate was 18.3 per 1,000 population.