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
Whitechapel 1890
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Whitechapel]
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On the whole however 1 am impelled to think that my estimate of the district population is under-stated and that in consequence the death-rate is fixed too high.
| Year. | Births. | Deaths. | Natural Increase. | Estimated Death Rate. | Estimated Population. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1884* | 2500 | 1571 | 929 | 22.2 | 69,363 |
| 1885 | 2373 | 1456 | 917 | 22.2 | 65,550 |
| 1886 | 2525 | 1624 | 901 | 22.5 | 72,142 |
| 1887 | 2572 | 1602 | 970 | 21.8 | 73,485 |
| 1888 | 2607 | 1574 | 1033 | 21.1 | 74,500 |
| 1889 | 2627 | 1533 | 1094 | 20.4 | 75,057 |
| 1890 | 2720 | 1866 | 854 | 24.O | 77,714 |
| * 53 weeks were included in this year. | |||||
In 1871 the Census returns stated the death-rate at 26.5 per
1000, and fixed the population at 71,363.
DEATHS, WHEREVER REGISTERED, REFERRED CORRECTLY TO SUB-DISTRICTS.
| Year. | Spitalfields. | Mile End New Town. | Whitechapel Church. | Goodman's Fields. | Aldgate. | Total. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1884 | 582 | 314 | 395 | 169 | 111 | |
| 1885 | 527 | 341 | 175 | 123 | 1456 | |
| 1886 | 339 | 428 | 170 | 127 | 1624 | |
| 1887 | 611 | 406 | 154 | 1602 | ||
| 1888 | 593 | 137 | 1574 | |||
| 1889 | 549 | 449 | 132 | 124 | 1533 | |
| 1890 | 529 | 131 | 202 | 1866 |
A word of comment concerning this last table may be useful.
The large increase in the deaths in Spitalfields I am at a loss to
explain. Mile End New Town and Goodman's Fields Sub-Districts
require no remark beyond stating the fact that little or no change
has occurred in the dwellings contained in them during the past
few years. Whitechapel Church and Aldgate Sub-Districts have
both increased in population by reason of new model dwellings
which have been erected. The increase in the number of deaths
so far as they are concerned is thus accounted for. The Whitechapel
District as a whole has not yet reached its limit of increase,
because several blocks of Artizans' dwellings are still in course of
erection, and I therefore decline to commit myself to any statement
of population which can be considered as strictly accurate.