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cortainly due, in some part, to the decline in the birth rate, which
must have materially diminished the proportion of children under
five years of ago in the total population. Had the birth rate in
tho successive five years (1882-1886) been equal to the average
birth rate in the ten years (1871 to 1880) there would have been
so nearly as can be estimated, some 50,000 more children under
five living in 1886; and as the mortality in the first life period is
high, the general doath rate would have been raised; and at a
rough estimate, would have been about 20.4, instead of being as it
was, 19.9. It would still therefore have been exceptionally low.
The number of births registered during the year in Bethnal
Green was 5194, and corresponded to an annual rate of 40.0.
This is almost identical with that of last year; but is considerably
above that of London which was 32.3. Now, I have very little
doubt that the high birth rate of this Parish accounts for a good
deal of our mortality. No other district in the Metropolitan area
has so many births in proportion to its population. The only
district approaching ours is St. George's in tho East with a birth
rate of 39.2, and a death rate of 29.8, which is more than six per
thousand in excess of Bethnal Green. The highest are St. Luke's,
with a birth rato of 38.3, and Shoreditch with one of 38.2. Tho
mortality rates in these districts are almost identical with ours.
I am indebted to tho British Medical Journal of April 16th for
tho following extract:—
"The True Death-rates of London Sanitary Districts during the
" Year 1886.
"In the accompanying table will be found summarised the vital and
mortal statistics for 1886 of the thirty-nine sanitary districts of the
motropolis, based upon tho Registrar-General's returns for that year.
Tho mortality figures in tho table relate to the deaths of persons
actually bolonging to the respective sanitary districts, and are the
result of a complete system of distribution of the deaths occurring in
the public institutions of London among tho various sanitary districts
in which tho patients had previously resided. By this means the
precise number of deaths of persons belonging to the different
sanitary districts is known, as all deaths occurring in institutions of