Excerpts from past issues of "The Crabbery"
Vol 2.1, 11th April 1994
Vol 2.1, 11th April 1994
One often reads about how ‘times were harder’ in the ‘Good Old Days’ (whenever they were!) but not so often does one see some possible proof of such claims. I recently analysed the death rates for 84 years from 1866, which was when they started putting age at death in the index. The following chart shows the percentage of people born in those years that died before their sixth birthday - a surprising average of slightly over 16.5% for the whole period (even higher at 20% over the first 60 years). Once I have even more modern figures as well it will be interesting to see how they compare.
1866 24.50% +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1867 26.00% ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1868 22.00% ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1869 16.00% ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1870 23.50% +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1871 21.00% ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1872 34.00% ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1873 25.00% ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1874 12.50% +++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1875 23.50% +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1876 28.00% ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1877 29.00% ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1878 18.00% ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1879 20.00% ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1880 19.50% +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1881 13.00% ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1882 23.00% ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1883 17.00% ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1884 17.50% +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1885 24.00% ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1886 22.50% +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1887 19.50% +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1888 19.50% +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1889 22.50% +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1890 15.00% ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1891 23.00% ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1892 17.00% ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1893 26.00% ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1894 25.50% +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1895 13.50% +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1896 16.50% +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1897 17.00% ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1898 30.00% ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1899 12.00% ++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1900 21.00% ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1901 21.00% ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1902 25.00% ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1903 22.00% ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1904 15.00% ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1905 17.50% +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1906 18.00% ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1907 7.00% ++++++++++++++ 1908 27.50% +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1909 22.50% +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1910 20.00% ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1911 29.00% ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1912 9.50% +++++++++++++++++++ 1913 21.50% +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1914 32.50% +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1915 26.00% ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1916 6.00% ++++++++++++ 1917 18.00% ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1918 24.00% ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1919 15.00% ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1920 15.50% +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1921 14.50% +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1922 16.50% +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1923 12.50% +++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1924 10.00% ++++++++++++++++++++ 1925 6.50% +++++++++++++ 1926 8.50% +++++++++++++++++ 1927 19.00% ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1928 7.00% ++++++++++++++ 1929 8.00% ++++++++++++++++ 1930 7.00% ++++++++++++++ 1931 4.00% ++++++++ 1932 6.00% ++++++++++++ 1933 14.50% +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1934 7.00% ++++++++++++++ 1935 8.50% +++++++++++++++++ 1936 13.50% +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1937 6.00% ++++++++++++ 1938 8.00% ++++++++++++++++ 1939 10.50% +++++++++++++++++++++ 1940 5.50% +++++++++++ 1941 6.00% ++++++++++++ 1942 5.00% ++++++++++ 1943 4.00% ++++++++ 1944 1.50% +++ 1945 18.50% +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1946 10.00% ++++++++++++++++++++ 1947 8.00% ++++++++++++++++ 1948 2.00% ++++ 1949 5.00% ++++++++++
