[Report 1904] / Medical Officer of Health, Colchester Borough.

  • Colchester (England). Borough Council.
Date:
1904
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1904] / Medical Officer of Health, Colchester Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    4/34 (page 2)
    POPULATION AND AREA. The estimated population to the middle of 1904 is 39,700. This is estimated by the method of tho Eegistrar General, which assumes that the rate of increase of the previous intercensus period is being maintained. The number of new houses erected during 1904 was 188. The average number of persons per house is 4'9 for Colchester. This would represent an increase of 921 inhabitants, giving the population for the middle of 1904 as 41,220. The natural increase, or increase of births over deaths for the year is 363. It is probable that the population is somewhat in excess of the official estimate of 39,700, but this figure is taken as the basis of all calculations for the sake of uniformity and to enable comparisons to be made with earlier years. This figure includes the garrison and their families living in barracks. The average daily strength of the garrison for 1904 was 3,956, i.e. officers and men, 3,273, women 258, children 425. I am indebted to the kindness of Colonel Slaughter for these figures. For 1903, however, I estimated the civilian population, for reasons given in my Annual Report for that year, at 36,030. The average Military population has remained almost identical for 1903 and 1904, 80 that the true civilian population may be estimated at 36,430. The estimated populations for the different wards have been calculated from the new houses erected in each ward. The figures are North 6, South 39, East 65, West 78 houses, exclusive of 53 additions to houses. The area of the Borough is 11,324 acres. BIRTHS. The total number of births registered in the Borough for the year was 1,033. This is equivalent to a birth rate of 26-02 per 1,000 inhabitants. This rate is very slightly below the average for the past nine years, which works out at 26-1. The actual number of births registered is the highest since 1895. Of the 1,033 births 627 were males and 506 females. The births for the four quarters of the years were respectively 265, 246, 264, 258. For the different wards the births were, respectively. North 159, South 368, East 288, West 218:.. Of the births 31 were illegitimate children, forming 3 per cent, of the total births. DEATHS. The total number of deaths registered in the Borough for 1904 was 670, giving 16-87 as the trude death rate per 1000. The crude death rate has to be corrected. The deaths of residents who have died outside the Borough have to be added, and those who died in the public Institutions of the Borough but belonging to beyond the Borough, have to be deducted. I have received information as to one such death of a Colchester inhabitant outside the Borough,^ and 41 non-residents died within the Borough and public institutions. The corrected number of deaths is therefore 630, and the corrected death rate is 15‘86 per 1000. Twenty deaths took place among the military population.