[Report 1873] / Medical Officer of Health, Birmingham.

  • Birmingham (England). Council.
Date:
1873
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: [Report 1873] / Medical Officer of Health, Birmingham. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    5/38 (page 5)
    i) year contains 53 instead of tlie usual 52 weeks, and tliat tlie last week was characterised by an exceptionally high death-rate, viz.: 34; secondly, has the town sunk from a high to a low iDosition in the scale of public health among the principal large towns 1 The following comparative statement, derived from the same source, will be the most complete answer to this question also. Annual death-rate per 1,000 persons living in 1873. xVvcrage of IS large towns. Lomlon. Norwicli. Birmingham. Liveniool. Manche.ster. Leeds. Newcastle. 24-05 ... 22-45 ... 2T57 ... 24-8 ... 25.9 ... 30-17 ... 27-55 ... 29-9 So that by the side of the other towns with which it is fairly comparable, it still maintains its old pre-eminence, and it may be safely predicted that in the event of the adoption of those sanitary measures, which all intelligent, competent persons now admit to bo necessary, the health of the town will, instead of declining or remaining stationary, continue to improve ; in the opposite case, of course, as a natural result, the death rate will become higher. But though the death-rate of the borough is not so high as in other large towns, it is yet much higher than it otherwise would be, owing partly to the high birth-rate to Avhich reference- has been made above ; the birth-rate of the borough is seen to be the highest, except that of Leeds and of Newcastle. Now in comparing the mortality of different toAvns, it is necessary to take the birth-rate into account, for a high death-rate is a natural result of a high birth-rate, all other differences of conditions being neglected; the reason being that mortality in infant life is so much greater than that of adult life. The deaths of infants under one year of age during 1873, are 18-15 per cent, of all the births registered. The numbers are as folloAvs in the most important towns ;— Average of 18 London. Norwich. Birmingham. Liverpool. Manchester. Leeds. Newcastle. 17.4 ... 16-0 ... 16-1 ... 18-15 ... 21-3 ... 20-0 ... 19-4 ... 18-7 While the percentage of deaths of infants under one year of age, on the total deaths is :— Average of 18 large English towns. London. Nonvich. Birmingham. Liverpool. Manchester. Leeds. Newcastle. 27-02 ... 25-25 .. 24-5 ... 29-2 ... 30-42 ... 25-75 ... 28-0 ... 27.1 It is clear then that given two totvns of exactly eijual healthiness, but differing in their birth-rate, the one having the highest birth-rate will present the greater mortality, and so aiipear the less healthy, although, as stated, they shall be exactly equal in sanitary condition. If then Birmingham had as low a birth-rate as London or Norwich, it would have a much loAver total death-rate, and Avould appear, judged by its mortality, in a better sanitary condition and more healthy than at present, without actually being so. Irom the Aveekly statements in Table VII, kindly furnished by Mr. D. Smith, it will be seen that the Mean Temperature for 1st quarter 'I n 2nd II II II Srd II II II 4tli II II II Year n was 39°. 00 51°.82 59°. 15 44°. 46 48°. 61 Ihe temperature and state of the weather exert on the character of some diseases a very marked influence, which it is not always easy to explain; rone utis and Phthisis are most severe in winter, and proportionately so as the weather is colder and wetter, the general mortality being always highest