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II.—Vital Statistics: Births and Deaths.
1. Population.—The natural increase of population during the year 1903,
viz, the excess of births over deaths was 243, which, with the increased number of
inhabited houses, would justify the assumption that as far as the nett population is
concerned the increase was in about the same ratio as shown in the late census to
have taken place during the previous ten years. There has, however, been a
considerable alteration in the number of inhabitants of the South Metropolitan
District Schools as previously included in the gross population, the boys' school in
the Brighton Road only having been used by one out of the many authorities. viz.,
the St. Olaves Union, and the girls' school in the Banstead Road having been taken
over by the Metropolitan Asylums Board. A census of these schools was taken at
Midsummer, giving a population of 471 at the St. Olaves Union School, and 497 at
the Metropolitan Asylum Board's School, making a total of 968. as compared with
1738 recorded by the census of 1901. The gross population for the purposes of
these statistics will therefore be estimated at 17168, as compared with 17638, and
the nett population, excluding the above schools, as 16,200, as compared with
15,900 the previous year.
2. Births.—388 births were registered during the year, 198 boys and 190
girls, the birth rate for the year being 23.9 per 1,000, the average rate for the
previous ten years 23.6. The birth rate for the whole of England and Wales was
28.4 during the year.
3. Deaths.—There were registered 131 deaths as having taken place within
the district, of which 3 were of persons not belonging thereto, two at the Sutton
Hospital and one at the South Metropolitan Schools, whilst 22 deaths occurred of
persons removed for treatment to institutions outside the district, viz., Brookwood
Asylum 8, Epsom Union Workhouse 14, and Cuddington Isolation Hospital 1.
This gives a total of 150 deaths of inhabitants, 65 males and 85 females, and a death
rate of 9.2 per thousand of the estimated population, as compared with 12.2 the
preceding year, and an average of 11.7 during the ten previous years.
In England and Wales the death rate was 15.4 per 1,000, and in the 103 smaller
towns in the country 14.6.
4. Infant Mortality.—The deaths of 32 children under 12 months old were
registered during the year, and the infant mortality as measured by the proportion
of deaths registered under one year old to the number of births registered was
8.2 per cent., as compared with an average of 10'9 during the ten preceding years.
The rate in England and Wales during the year was 13.2.
5. Eleven deaths were attributed to Phthisis or Pulmonary Consumption, which
is equal to .6 per 1,000, the same as during the two preceding years; and 19 deaths
were due to other lung diseases (Bronchitis Pneumonia, &c.), or 1.1 per 1,000 as
compared with 2.0 and 2.3 in the two previous years respectively.
6. Epidermic Influenza was but slightly prevalent during the year, and is
credited with 1 death, as compared to 6 the previous year.
7. Cancer (Malignant Disease).—Twelve deaths were attributed to Cancer,
about 1 in 12 of the total mortality, the rate per thousand of the population being .7,
as compared with 1.0 and 1.9 during the two previous years.