[Report 1896] / Medical Officer of Health, Sheffield City.

  • Sheffield (England). City Council.
Date:
1896
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1896] / Medical Officer of Health, Sheffield City. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    17/80 (page 11)
    The great saving in life, which has resulted from the reduction of the death-rate, will be more apparent when I state, that, had the average death-rate of the first, second or third quinquennial periods obtained during the last period then, calculated upon the present estimated population, no fewer than 5,725 deaths in the first instance, 2,775 in the second, and 4,855 in the third, would have occurred in excess of the mortality which actually took place during the five years 1890-96. Thus a direct saving of life is the benefit which the city gains from a reduced death-rate, and if we regard Farr’s calculation as correct, viz., that each life has a value to the State of £250, the economical advantages of modern sanitation will be apparent. It is perhaps impossible to regard the whole reduction in the mortality as directly due to modern sanitary improvements ; at the same time, I have no hesitation in ascribing the improved healthiness and welfare of the community very largely to the influence of the sanitary works which have been undertaken by the Corporation during recent years, more especially in improving the main drainage and sewers, and in more strictly enforcing improvements in the sanitary conditions of dwelling-houses and their surroundings. The death-rate in the first quarter of last year was 19'3 per thousand, in the second 18’7, in the third 20'4. and in the last quarter 19 per thousand ; while the highest weekly death-rate, viz., 25-2, occurred in the week ending August 1st, and was due to the prevalence of Diarrhesa; the lowest weekly death-rate being 13'4 for the week ending September 26th. TABLE V.—Recorded and Corrected Death-rates per 1,000 persons living in 83 Great Toions in 1890. Towns in order of their Corrected Death-rates. 1 Recorded ' Death-rate. I 1 Corrected Death-rate. Comparative Mortality Figure. England .vnd Wales. 1 17-10 17-10 1000 England and Wales, less the 33 Towns 16-09 15-84 926 33 Towns— 18-91 20-45 1196 * Ckoydon... 14-22 14-82 867 Brighton 16-13 16-31 954 1 Norwich... 17-38 16-65 974 j Portsmouth . 16-57 16-94 991 Derby 15-65 17-26 1009 i West Ham 16-07 17-34 1014 i Bristol ... 16-90 17-66 1033 Leicester 16-72 18-15 1061 Swansea... 16-85 18-41 1077 i Cardiff ... ... . 16-84 18-79 1099 Nottingham 17-50 18-82 1101 j ' Br.\dford 16-51 18-90 1105 Plymouth 19-57 19-02 1112 Huddersfield. 16-47 19-15 1120 Halifax ... ... ... ... 17-33 19-29 1128 London ... 18-58 19-80 1158 1 Hull ^ 18-91 19-86 ^ 1161 j Blackburn 17-87 20-07 1174 Burnley... 17-51 • 20-11 1176 ! Newcastle 18-46 20-11 1176 ' Gateshead 19-09 20-50 1199 Leeds 18-75 20-78 1215 Sunderland 19-82 20-80 1216 Wolverhampton 19-95 20-88 1221 ' Birkenhead 19-19 21-10 1234 SHEFFIELD 19-26 21*42 1253 Preston . 20-76 22-82 1335 ' Bikmingh.\m 20-81 , 23-00 1345 1 Oldham ... 20-27 ‘ 23-22 1358 , 1 Bolton ... 20-73 1 23-49 1374 i Liverpool . 22-74 24-97 1460 I Salford . 22-64 i 25-46 1489 t 1 Manchester 1 1 22-64 25-65 1500 1