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
Kensington 1884
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington]
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10
The London death-rate was 1.9 below the decennial average,
and was the lowest on record. The rate in England and Wales,
19'6, l'O below the decennial average, was the lowest, with two
exceptions, recorded in any year since civil registration was established
in 1837.
J.he subjoined table shows the annual death-rate, per 1,000 persons living, for each of the last eleven years, in Kensington, and, for the sake of comparison, in the Metropolis and its several districts, and in all England:—
| Death Kate | 1884. | 1883. | 1882. | 1881. | 1880. | 187!). | 1878. | 1877. | 1876. | 1875. | 1874. |
| Kensington | 15 .1 | 15.5 | 16.2 | 16.6 | 17.8 | 18.8 | 20.2 | 17.3 | 19.5 | 19.2 | 19.4 |
| London | 20.3 | 20.4 | 21.4 | 21.2 | 21.7 | 22.6 | 23.1 | 21.5 | 21.9 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| W. Districts | 19.2 | 19.5 | 19.9 | 19.6 | 19.8 | 20.9 | 21.6 | 19.2 | 20.9 | 22.2 | 20.9 |
| North „ | 19.1 | 19.1 | 19.7 | 20.6 | 20.8 | 21.5 | 22.0 | 21.5 | 22.1 | 22.1 | 21.7 |
| Central „ | 23.8 | 23.2 | 23.9 | 23.2 | 23.4 | 26.0 | 25.1 | 24.2 | 24.1 | 26.2 | 25.6 |
| East „ | 23.0 | 24.1 | 25.3 | 24.2 | 24.3 | 25.5 | 25.0 | 24.5 | 23.9 | 25.7 | 25.5 |
| South „ | 19.8 | 19.4 | 20.7 | 20.5 | 21.3 | 21.8 | 23.0 | 20.5 | 21.2 | 23.3 | 21.0 |
| England and I | 19.6 | 19.5 | 19.6 | 18.9 | 20.5 | 20.7 | 21.6 | 20.3 | 20.9 | 22.7 | 22.2 |
| Wales J |
Referring to the low rate of mortality in London, the RegistrarGeneral
states in his Annual Summary that "had the deaths in
1884 equalled the average yearly number in the preceding
decennium, 1874-83, corrected for increase of population, 6,182
persons would have died in the year, who, as it was, were alive at
its close."
The death-rate in the "Outer Ring" of London Suburban
Districts, with a population slightly exceeding a million persons,
was 17.5. The rate in 27 great towns (exclusive of London),
having an aggregate population of over 4¾
millions persons was
22.2, ranging from 18.0 at Brighton, to 27.3 at Preston. In 50
other large urban districts, with an estimated population of
2,734,000 persons, the aggregate rate was 20.3, the same as the
London rate, ranging from 12.5 at Barrow-in-Furness (population
57,000), to 26.1 at Wigan (population 51,600).
Having premised so much by way of introduction it will be well,
before proceeding further, to say a few words with respect to the
Registration District and Sub-Districts
in which we are locally interested.