Report of the Commissioners appointed to enquire into the Condition of all Mines in Great Britain. To which the provision of the Act 23 & 24 Vict. Cap. 151 do not apply, with reference to the Health and Safety of Persons employed in such mines with Appendices.

  • Great Britain. Royal Commission on Mines.
Date:
1864
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the Commissioners appointed to enquire into the Condition of all Mines in Great Britain. To which the provision of the Act 23 & 24 Vict. Cap. 151 do not apply, with reference to the Health and Safety of Persons employed in such mines with Appendices. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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

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    YOKKSHIKE AND NOKTHliRN Counties. Vital Statistics. For names of districts and sub-districts included in the return see App. B. IX. The districts comprised in the return are the lead-mining districts of Northumberland, Durham, Cumberland, Westmore- land, Yorkshire, and Lancashire. But inasmuch as the numbers of miners and of course the numbers of deaths of miners, in some of these counties, were too small, taken separately, to justify any deductions with regard to the comparative health of the mining and non-mining sections of the population, we shall only quote from the return the death rates as computed from the aggregate num- bers of males and of deaths of males of the two classes respectively, in all the lead-mining districts of the six counties taken together. In order to show the comparative health of the two sections of the population at the present time, the rates of mortality comprised in the return have, been calculated for the three years 1860-62 inclusive ; these years having been selected because the last census was taken in 1861, the middle year of the term, which renders the calculations as nearly accurate as possible. The sub- joined table shows the average annual rates of mortality per 1,000 miners, and per 1,000 males exclusive of miners, from all causes, for the several successive decennial periods of life from the age of 15 up to that of 75 years. Average Annual Number of Deaths per 1,000 Miners, and per 1,000 Males exclusive of Miners, from all Causes, during the three years 1860-62 inclusive. Ages. Between 15 and 25 years 25 „ 35 35 „ 45 45 ,, 55 55 „ 65 65 ., 75 3J » }} 5» 9-53 12-38 *17'64 33-11 78-34 127-52 j\Iales excIusiTC of Miners. 7-57 919 10-13 16-18 29-38 66-10 The figiu-es in the above table show that at all ages^ from 15 years upwards the miners die in somewhat larger proportions tiian the men of the same districts not employed in mining, and also that this excess of mortality among the miners increases largely and progressively with increasing age, up to that period ot life after which few miners continue to work underground. Thus, if it be assumed that the rale of mortality among the non-mming section of the male population at each successive period of life quoted in the table is equal to 100, then the rate among miners between the ages of 15 and 25 years would be 126; between 25 and 35 years, 135; between 35 and 45 years, 174; between 45 and 55 years, 205 ; between 55 and 65 years, 267 ; and between 65 and 75 years, 193. ^ ■ ^ From the return prepared by the Registrar General it also appears that this excess of mortality among miners is manily due