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8 Parish of St. George the Martyr, Southwark.
The fact is notable that the birth-rate in St. George's is higher than in London
and in the thirty-three large towns. This may, I think, be partly explained by th.
fact that the limitation of families is carried into effect by the better-to-do classes
rather than by the poor.
Deaths and Death-Rate for 1898.
1,218 deaths were registered in the parish during the fifty-two weeks ending
31st December, 1898, giving an average of 23 4 per week. Of this total 185 were
deaths of non-parishioners in hospitals and asylums within the district. In additioin
436 parishioners died in outside public institutions and extra metropolitan asylums
There were, therefore, 1,469 deaths amongst your parishioners, equivalent to a???
average mortality of 24.3 per 1,000. The death-rate for all London in the same year
was 18.7 per 1,000, which is in itself, according to many authorities, 2 7 more per 1,000
than should occur from "the mortality incident to human nature." In St. Georgo's
then, the death toll"—as it has been aptly called—claims 5.6 persons out of every
1,000 in excess of an already excessive rate. On the latter estimate, that of the
whole of London, there have been some 339 unnecessary deaths in St. George's
Southwark, during the year 1898, and comparing it with the ideal estimate, the
unnecessary deaths number no less than 504.
In the forty-three metropolitan sanitary areas the lowest death-rates were 11.7
in Hampstead, 13.2 in St. George's, Hanover Square, 13 7 in Stoke Newington, 14 .4
in Wandsworth, 14 9 in Lee, and 15.3 in Lewisham (excluding Penge); the highea???
death-rates, on the other hand, were 23 6 in St. Saviour's, Southwark, 23.8 in Lime
house, 24.3 in St. George's, Southwark, 24 8 in St. George-in-the-East, 24.9 in
Holborn. and 25.7 in St. Luke's.
The facts of your death-rate are briefly as follows:—
TABLE III.
Sub-District.
No. of Deaths.
Death-rate per 1,000.
Deaths under 1 year
to 1,000 Births.
1897.
1898.
1897.
1898.
1897.
1898.
Borough Road
456
449
28.6
28.4
169
165
London Road
422
456
18.8
21.4
190
190
Kent Road
548
564
23.7
24.2
203
210
Whole Parish
1,426
1,469
23.6
24.3
189
188
London
80.943
83,936
18.1
18.7
159
159
33 Large Towns
209,412
212.848
191
190
177
177
It is clear, then, that the death-rate of St. George's, Southwark, is abnormally
high. One is naturally led to enquire whether a further analysis of facts and figures
will throw any light upon this state of affairs.
On comparing the average death-rate in the three sub-districts for the years
1892-3-4-5-6-7-8 with that of 1898, we find:-