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The mortality of children under 1 year old has been most unusually
small, only 296 deaths, or 18.9 per cent, having occurred at this period
of life. There were 393, or 25.1 per cent, of deaths between 1 and 20
years of age, 212 or 13 5 per cent, deaths of persons who were more
than 20 but under 40, .227 deaths or 14.5 per cent, between 40 and 60
years of age, 331 deaths or 21.3 per cent between 60 and 80, which is
a larger proportion than usual, and no less than 104 deaths or 6.7 per
cent, of persons who had attained the great age of more than 80 year3.
The last statistical enquiries for the whole District to which I purpose
drawing your attention are the very important ones of the mean age at
death, the rate of death, that is to say the proportion of deaths to the
number of living, and the expectancy of life.
The mean age of death has been unusually high during this year, la
great part from the small number of children who died under I year old.
We have shown that 689 persons died before they attained 20 years of
age, that 212 died between 20 and 40, 227 between 40 and 60, 331
between 60 and 80, and 104 above 80 years of age. Now as the
deaths in the German Hospital and East London Union do not belong
to this District, except of the few who resided in it before they were taken
ill ; it is necessary to exclude these deaths from those of the inhabitant®
in order to ascertain the true number at the different ages. On examining
the returns from these institutions, I find that 26 persons died in
them under 20 years of age, 33 between 20 and 40, 33 between 40 and
60, 44 between 60 and 80, and 8 above 80 years of age. Deducting
these deaths from the above-mentioned numbers, we have, belonging to
the District, 663 deaths under 20, 179 between 20 and 40, 194 between
40 and 60, 287 between 60 and 80, and 96 above 80, which will give a
mean age at death of 35.54 years. During the years 1847-53, the
mean age at death in Hackney was 34.0.
If we next calculate the rate of deaths to those living, we find that if
the number of the inhabitants of the District on the 30th June were
77,957, and the number of deaths 1419, the rate of deaths would be
100 in each 5493 living, or 1 in 54.93. During the years 1847-53 in
Hackney, the death rate was 100 in 5170, or 1 in 51.70 inhabitants.
Now, as the expectancy of life (that is to say, the time which a child born
in the district during the year 1859, might be expected to live if he continued
to reside in Hackney, and "the district remained as salubrious as
during this year), lies between the mean age at death, and the number of
living, out of which one dies annually, I have calculated according to the
Registrar General's formula, that it would be no less than 48 years, 167
days, and 9 hours, against 45 years, and 292 days during the years
1847-53. This is a far greater expectancy of life than is to be found for
the kingdom at large, and is probably higher than will obtain in the
district for the present, except during very healthy years ; but it is very
satisfactory to find that the duration of life has decidedly increased for the