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7
the figures from Dr. Seaton's report for 1893, and
the statistics of population from the last census.
With regard to notifications, the only data at my
disposal are those of Surbiton and Kingston, so that
in the other divisions of the district 1 can only refer
to the death-rates.
Death-rates for 1893:—
Kingston. Surbiton. New Maiden. Ham.
18.6 12.5 15.5 15.6 per 1,000
These rates include all persons dying in public
institutions to which they may have been sent from
the different sanitary districts, but do not always
include persons dying in health resorts, such as are
frequented by the wealthy.
Ransome on Vital Statistics points out that such
death rates as 12 and 10 per 1,000 through a series
of years are impossible death rates. A death rate of
10 per 1,000 means that every person in the place
must live to an average of 100, and of 12 per 1,000
to an average of 83. Consequently for every one
dying under those ages it is necessary that some
others must live to a correspondingly increased age.
It is shown from the return of deaths that such is
not the case, so that it is not too strong to describe
the Surbiton death rate as impossible. Ransome
goes on to say: "But the cases in which this
emigration to die are most common are those of
domestic servants. When a servant is taken ill
with some serious illness, in far the majority of
instances, he or she is sent away to friends ; and
this fact is the cause of the abnormally low deathrates
of suburbs." This accounts for the low
death-rate of Surbiton, due chiefly to the fact of its
being a suburb, whether of Kingston or of London
is immaterial, except as regards the preference of
the inhabitants to be amalgamated by one parent or
the other.