Inaugural address / by Joseph Fayrer, Bart., K.C.S.I., LL.D. Edin & St. And., M.D. Edin., F.R.C.P. Eng., Q.H.P., F.R.S.

  • Fayrer, Joseph, Sir, 1824-1907
Date:
[1898?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Inaugural address / by Joseph Fayrer, Bart., K.C.S.I., LL.D. Edin & St. And., M.D. Edin., F.R.C.P. Eng., Q.H.P., F.R.S. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    The death-rate has fallen proportionately more in the towns than among; the rural population. In 18bl— i0 the town death- rate was 24-8 per thousand whilst the country was 19*7, but in 1891-95 the town rate was 19*5 and the country 17*3—in both cases a diminution but more marked in the urban, pro¬ bably because sanitation was better in the towns than in the country. There is a leading article in the Standard of June 23rd stating that the death-rate for London, one of the healthiest cities in the world, for the previous week had been 13*8 per thousand, the lowest for five- years with the exception of one week in July last year, when it was 13’5. This shows that improvement has taken place of late years, for in 1855 it was 24*3 per thousand, in 1887 it was 19*3, and two years later it was 17*3. The tendency to migrate to towns no doubt helps to reduce the general health, and it would be well to discourage this as much as social and economic requirements will permit; for a strong and healthy peasantry is more conducive to the national welfare than a weakly urban population. The registration system came into force the year of the Queen’s accession under the auspices of Dr. Farr, and it is since then that we have been able to get accurate vital sta¬ tistics, upon which depends our knowledge of the state of public health, and from which also we can estimate the mean expectation of life. Statistics show that in 1838 to 1854 the mean expectation of life was for males 39*81, for females 41*85 years. From 1871-80 it had increased to 41*35 for males, 44*66 for females. “When Dr. Farr commenced his labours the mean duration of life in Surrey was 45 years. It was not more than 37 years in the Metropolis and 26 years in Liver¬ pool. Now, the mean duration of life throughout the whole of England and Wales is higher than the first named figures.”* Dr. Tatham, in the Registrar-General’s report for the last ten years, gives the mean expectation of life for males as 43*7, females 47*2 years. From a comparison of the tables of 1841 and 1881-90, it will be seen that this has increased both for males and females up to the age of 30, but diminished after that age. Age. 1841. 1881—90. 1841. 1881—90. 20 39*88 40*27 40*81 42*44 30 33*13 32*52 34*25 34*76 40 26*56 25*42 27*72 27*60 50 20*02 18*52 21*07 20*56 * “Practitioner,” June, 1897, p. 704.