Annual report of the public health of Gibraltar for the year 1891 / by W. G. Macpherson.

  • Macpherson William Grant, Sir, 1858-1927.
Date:
1892
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report of the public health of Gibraltar for the year 1891 / by W. G. Macpherson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    The populiitioi-i dealt with here is, accordingly, the total Civil population resident in tlie Fortress,* consisting of the fixed Civil population and the population of Aliens, residing here on temporary or other permits and called the fioating population. It has been found that the latter materially lower the general death-rate of the total Civil population, on account of their age and sex distribution, restrictions regarding marriage, &c., making them practically a popu- lation living at the ages of lowest mortality. For example, in lS91 the death-rate of the fixed Civil population (16,9(16) was 20‘70 per 1,000, while that of the total Civil population (19,100) was 18‘95; the difference being due entirely to the low death-rate of 5'46 per 1,000 amongst the 2,1 94 resident Aliens. I should, indeed, on this account, have preferred to have kept the statistics of the fixed Civil population entirely distinct from those of the Aliens; but it was impossible to do so, on account of the fact, that, in the important matter of age and sex distribution, the Census return of 1891 does not differentiate between them; so that, in com|)aring the mortality of Gibraltar with that of other localities, the total Civil population only can be taken into account. Those, who are accustomed to deal with statistics will readily un. derstand tliese points. It will be enough to state, that each popula- tion has a standard death-rate, obtained from its age and sex distri- bution, as compared with that of England and Wales ; and that the recorded death-rate must be multiplied by a factor for correction, obtained from the standard death-rate, to give the corrected death- rate, used in comparing one community with another.f Generally speaking the population of Gibraltar, as compared with that of England and Wales, has a proportionately small number living at the ages of high mortality and a proportionately large number at the ages of low mortality.J The general death-rate must therefore be looked upon as representing for purposes of comparison a rate of mortalitg considerably higher than that recorded. It is necessar}'^ to make these few introductory remarks because statistics, and especially vital statistics, invariably lead to erroneous conclusious, unless carefully considered and analyzed. This is more especially the case, in dealing with the comparatively small numbers, afforded by the population of Gibraltar. ;iir llrtV'*' 1 h'l-' jufiualig ;dK- m- CUttfCi rilfs jEariiP' 1)1-' Ttietolal toiai ol 2S noii-i'- . also lecotileploiiil 'll BectioD *itli lli6 Ulofi' The eneral or jlfed Civil populatio; fath-rates of prcvio Ww22ild 2h'83, .1 ^ prepared a T rates for iththe he tteri 1st II * The (iisefise statistics of the Military population are of great importance in estimating the pnh'lie health of the locality. They are dealt with in ths Annual Reports of the Army Medical Department. I w'ould note, however, that the deaths, &c., entered in the Itce isti ar's records, as “ MilitaryP include many, who are not included in the “strengths” dealt with in Army statistics, so that there is a small number of residents left out of considcralion altogether in the health reports of Gibraltar. t Tor calculation of standard death-rate for Gibraltar, factor for correction, &c., &c., ami corrected death-rates for decennial period 1881-90 see Tables III. and V., appendix. J See Ctiart I. and Table II., appendix. SS] ill hi Mi M I, CS. itBl ill „■ ^'iltllt