Institutions

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PART IV.—INSTITUTIONS.

The numbers of persons enumerated in certain types of institutions and other special establishments have been published for each administrative area in Table 12 of the county reports and in summary form in Table 31 of the General Tables Volume. These include Poor Law institutions, hospitals, and other establishments for the treatment and care of the sick and of persons mentally or physically deficient, prisons and other places of detention, barracks, ships, etc., and their populations represent in the aggregate 2ΒΌ per cent. of the total population or about one half of the balance of the total population remaining after deducting the private family population discussed in the "housing" section of this report.

The institutions are not individually identified as they were in 1911 but the number of institutions in each category is given together with their populations by sexes. The classification has been slightly extended, homes for cripples, the blind, the deaf and dumb and also convalescent and nursing homes being included on this occasion.

TABLE XXVIII.—INSTITUTIONAL AND OTHER SPECIAL TYPES OF POPULATION IN ENGLAND AND WALES.

Inmates of Poor Law institutions on the 19th June, 1921, were noticeably fewer than they were on the 2nd April, 1911. The numbers were 185,695 in 1921 as compared with 260,731 at the earlier date, the decrease being relatively greater amongst the male section. It must be borne in mind, however, that, amongst other factors, the period of the year has a marked influence upon the numbers of persons in receipt of various forms of poor relief, and part of the difference between the figures of 1911 and 1921 may quite likely be accounted for by the variation in seasonal incidence, the 1921 census having been taken during a spell of fine and warm summer weather. Reformatory and industrial school inmates have also decreased from 18,234 in 1911 to 16,010 in 1921, and inmates of prisons from 19,641 to 11,427.

On the other hand, the number of persons under treatment in hospitals has grown from nearly 59,000 in 1911 to 80,020 in 1921, more than three-quarters of the increase being in respect of males and presumably due, therefore, to a great extent, to injuries received during the war. Inmates of homes for lunatics have also increased from 115,437 in 1911 to 120,060 in 1921, but here the increase occurs amongst females only, males showing a very slight decrease.

As regards the distribution of the sexes in 1921, female inmates outnumber males in convalescent and nursing homes, in lunatic asylums and in homes for cripples and for inebriates. In Poor Law infirmaries the sexes are equally divided and in all other identified types of institution the males are in excess. The sex proportions are shown above, while from the table following, which summarises the greater detail of Table 42 of the General Tables Volume, the characteristic difference in ages and marital conditions may be observed.

TABLE XXIX.—INSTITUTIONAL AND OTHER SPECIAL TYPES OF POPULATION—AGE DISTRIBUTION (INMATES ONLY).

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