Chapter LXXV: Part 2: of table

+---------+------------+----------------+
| |Differences | Percentage of |
| Age +expressed as| population of |
| Period. |percentages.|Blackburn in the|
| | |Cotton Industry.|
+---------+------------+-------+--------+
| | Per cent. | Males.|Females.|
| 15–25 | + 6.7 | 48.3 | 70.3 |
| 25–35 | + 7.6 | 39.0 | 52.1 |
| 35–45 | + 29.1 | 31.4 | 34.8 |
| 45–55 | + 27.0 | 27.4 | 19.7 |
| 55–65 | + 50.7 | 21.8 | 9.3 |
| 65 | | | |
|& upwards| + 6.9 | 13.2 | 3 |
+---------+------------+-------+--------+
| At all }| | | |
| Ages }| + 7.2 | 26.8 | 33.1 |
+---------+------------+-------+--------+

Any excessive mortality amongst the cotton operatives should show itself distinctly at those age periods in which the operatives preponderate. It may be argued that the bad effects are not felt until the later age periods, but it is difficult to believe that injurious conditions to which all alike are exposed would produce increased mortality at the later ages, and not affect the mortality of the earlier ages. It will be seen that 82 per cent. of the cotton operatives employed in this town are under the age of thirty-five, and it is at the age periods below 35 that the mortalities compare most favourably with those of the country as a whole. The only conclusion, then, that we can draw from the general mortality figures of Blackburn is, that the cotton industry has no influence in raising the mortality of the town as a whole, at any rate as far as the lower age periods are concerned.

With the reservations previously mentioned the trade statistics may be profitably considered. The trade mortality statistics in this country are compiled almost entirely in the office of the Registrar-General under the supervision of Dr Tatham. Although the statistics published by the Registrar-General are extremely valuable, there are many local problems on which little light is thrown. The Medical Officer of Health and others, to whom these problems are of the greatest importance, have no chance of investigating them, owing to the meagreness of the information published in the census returns. The age distribution of the persons engaged in the various occupations is not given, and many trades very dissimilar in their working conditions are grouped together. The necessary information should be forthcoming in one way or another. If details with regard to the age distribution of the persons engaged in the various occupations would make the census returns too bulky, then any local authority should have access to the census enumeration books, in order to extract whatever information they need. Fortunately the writer has had access to the enumeration books of the town of Blackburn, and in consequence he has been able to prepare special statistics. The following tables have been extracted from the Supplement to the Fifty-fifth Annual Report of the Registrar-General:--

Mean Annual Mortality of Males for the years 1890, 1891, and
1892, engaged in the Cotton, Flax, and Linen Manufacture of
Lancashire at successive periods of life.

+---------------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+ | | 15 | 20 | 25 | 35 | 45 | 55 | 65 | | | to | to | to | to | to | to | and | | 20. | 25. | 35. | 45. | 55. | 65. | up. | +---------------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+ |Cotton, Flax, and | | | | | | | | | Linen Manufacture, | | | | | | | | | Lancashire | 3.73 | 5.96 | 7.13 | 13.38| 25.11| 55.06|168.55| |All Males | 4.14 | 5.55 | 7.67 | 13.01| 21.37| 39.01|103.56| |All Occupied Males | 2.55 | 5.07 | 7.29 | 12.43| 20.66| 36.66|102.32| +---------------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+

Mortality Figures of Males, 25 to 65 years of age, for Certain Diseases among the following Groups of People, for the years 1890, 1891, and 1892.

Key to table:
A: All Causes.
B: Alcoholism.
C: Rheumatic Fever.
D: Phthisis.
E: Valvular Diseases of Heart.
F: Other Diseases of Circulatory System.
G: Bronchitis.
H: Pneumonia.
I: Diseases of Liver.
J: Other Diseases of Digestive System.
K: Nervous Diseases.
+----------------------+----+--+--+---+--+---+---+---+--+--+---+
| | A | B| C| D | E| F | G | H | I| J| K |
+----------------------+----+--+--+---+--+---+---+---+--+--+---+
|All Males |1000|13| 7|192|24|102| 88|107|29|26|102|
|All Occupied Males | 953|13| 7|185|23| 97| 88|105|27|25| 82|
|Occupied Males:-- | | | | | | | | | | | |
| London |1147|18| 7|277|28| 97|127|110|30|25| 88|
| Industrial Districts|1248|19| 8|223|27|122|154|178|32|32|108|
| Agricultural „ | 687| 7| 6|135|18| 73| 37| 55|24|21| 63|
| Cotton Manufactures,| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Lancashire |1176| 9|10|200|32|116|159|172|27|35|123|
|Unoccupied Males |2215|23| 2|448|37|191| 84|135|53|39|630|
+----------------------+----+--+--+---+--+---+---+---+--+--+---+

It is at once apparent on examining the tables that the death-rates of the cotton operatives at the lower age periods is not excessive, when one considers that the majority of them live in large and crowded centres. The death-rate from phthisis is little above that of all males throughout the country, and is much below that of occupied males in London or in the industrial districts. One striking feature, however, is the high mortality from bronchitis and pneumonia. The mortality from rheumatism and heart disease is also considerably above that of other classes of the population. These are the diseases which one would expect to be increased in persons subjected to sudden changes of temperature and humidity. The mortality figures published by the Registrar-General referring to the two periods, 1880–1882 and 1890–1892, are very instructive when compared. Two of the most striking features of these figures are the decrease of phthisis and the increase of bronchitis and pneumonia in the second period as compared with the first. The phthisis deaths amongst the cotton operatives of Lancashire were 25 per cent. of the total deaths in the years 1880–1882; the percentage had decreased to 19.6 in the years 1890–1892. On the other hand, the percentage of deaths from bronchitis and pneumonia increased from 25 per cent.] to 29.7 in the same period. The inferences that one might draw from these figures are rendered less positive by the fact that a change similar, but not so marked, took place throughout England. The small amount of phthisis amongst the cotton operatives in the second period compared with the first is certainly remarkable, the decrease being much greater than in the whole country. Improved ventilation following on the 1889 Act may have had some effect, but it seems likely that there has been some change in death certification, and that some deaths which formerly were returned as phthisis are now returned as bronchitis and pneumonia.

DEATH-RATE AMONGST THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS OF THE COTTON TRADE IN
BLACKBURN, _For the Years 1889–1899_.

+------------------------------------+----------------------------+
| Weavers. | Spinners. |
+-------+---------+----------+-------+---------+----------+-------+
| | | Lung | | | Lung | |
| Age |Phthisis.| Diseases | All |Phthisis.| Diseases | All |
|Period.| |other than|Causes.| |other than|Causes.|
| | |Phthisis. | | |Phthisis. | |
+-------+---------+----------+-------+---------+----------+-------+
| 15–25 | 1.14 | .48 | 4.2 | 1.65 | .94 | 6.1 |
| 25–35 | 1.72 | .86 | 5.2 | 2.48 | 1.90 | 6.6 |
| 35–45 | 2.11 | 2.59 | 11.0 | 3.09 | 2.90 | 11.8 |
| 45–55 | 1.88 | 5.29 | 16.1 | 2.94 | 11.78 | 31.5 |
| 55–65 | 3.75 | 20.22 | 56.5 | .61 | 21.94 | 43.8 |
| 65 and| | | | | | |
|upwards| 1.45 | 61.81 | 205.8 | 3.95 | 73.12 | 261.2 |
+-------+---------+----------+-------+---------+----------+-------+