Report upon the connection of disease with habits of intemperance : prepared for the Collective Investigation Committee of the British Medical Association / by Isambard Owen.

  • Owen, Isambard, 1850-1927.
Date:
1888
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report upon the connection of disease with habits of intemperance : prepared for the Collective Investigation Committee of the British Medical Association / by Isambard Owen. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    Table I],—(Table I otherwise stated). Class. No. of Cases. Percentage. A 122 or 2.8 p.c. of 4,234 B and ab 1,583 or 37.3 p.c. „ C and bc 1,155 or 27.2 p.c. „ D and CD 659 or 15.5 p.c. „ E and de 703 or 16.6 p.c. „ Unclassified 12 or 0.2 p.c. Total 4,234 Table III.—(Table I otherwise stated.) Class. No. of Cases. Percentage. A and ab 176 or 4.1 p.c. of 4,234 B and bc 1,707 or 40.3 p.c. „ C and cd 1,089 or 25.7 p.c. „ D and de 647 or 15.2 p.c. „ E 603 or 14.2 p.c. Unclassified 12 or 0.2 p.c. „ Total 4,234 Table IV.—(Table I otherwise stated). Class. No. of Cases. Perce A and half ab ... 149 or 3.4 p.c. B and half ab, bc 1,645 or 38.8 pc. C and half BC, CD 1,122 or 26.4 p.c. D and half cd, de 653 or 15.4 p.c. E and half de ... 653 or 15.4 p.c. Unclassified 12 or 0.2 p.c. Roughly stated, it may be said that of the four thousand two hundred and odd individuals reported on—all, be it remembered, males over the age of 25—about 45 per cent, were habitually moderate in their alcoholic habits, 25 per cent, were careless, and 30 per cent, more or less distinctly intemperate (15 per cent, decidedly so). Occupations. We have further classified the individuals in each class according to their respective occupations. As the numbers in most of the individual occupations are small, we have grouped them under the fourteen following heads: “ Independent Pro- perty,” “ Professional Occupations,” “ Clerical Occupations ” (the clerks, not the clergy, are here meant), “ Mercantile Occupations,” “Tradesmen,” “Licensed Victuallers,” “Artisans,” “Labourers,” “Driving Occupations,” “Farming Occupations,” “Soldiers,” “ Sailors,” “ Domestic Servants,” “ Miscellaneous Occupations,” and “ Blanks.” Table V shows the aggregate number of cases in each of these fourteen groups, and the percentage incidence of each group in the different alcoholic classes. At the head of the Table is placed the percentage incidence of the whole 4,222 classified cases, the twelve unclassified being neglected throughout. Table V.— Table shoiving the Aggregate Number of Cases in each of the Fourteen Occupation-groups, and the Percentage of each such Group in the several Alcoholic Classes A to F; ivith the Normal for Total) Percentage Incidence prefixed for purposes of comparisonA Aggregate Number. Percentage Fallin gin Class- A. AB. B. BC. C. CD. D. DE. E. Total 4222* 2.8 1.2 36.2 4.2 23.1 2.6 12.9 2.3 14.2 Independent 176 1.7 0.5 39.2 5.1 16.4 2.8 11.3 2.2 20.4 Professional occupations 242 5.3 0.8 47.9 4.1 16.1 4.1 9.5 2.4 9.5 Clerical occupations 176 2.8 2.8 45.4 2.2 21.02 1.7 14.2 2.2 7.3 Mercantile occupations . 195 3.07 1.02 42.05 2.5 11.7 2.05 18.4 5.1 13.8 Tradesmen 378 3.7 1.3 37.8 3.9 13.2 4.4 14.5 3.9 16.9 Licensed Victuallers . 159 — — 11.3 2.5 13.8 1.2 25.7 5.03 40.2 Artisans 807 4.5 2.2 36.9 5.2 22.5 3.5 9.5 2.2 13.1 Labourers .1,185 2.1 0.9 36.7 2.9 31.05 2.1 11.8 1.1 10.9 Driving occupations . 7C 1.4 — 22.8 1.4 21.4 7.1 18.5 4.2 22.8 Farming occupations . . 333 1.5 0.6 39.9 5.4 26.1 0.3 12.9 3.0 10.2 Soldiers . 47 4.2 — 14.8 2.1 36.1 (d3 8.5 2.1 25.5 Sailors . H 4.05 — 28.3 10.8 27.02 1.3 18.9 1.3 8.1 Domestic servants . 115 0.8 0.8 20.0 6.08 33.9 0.8 15.6 0.8 20.8 Miscellaneous and blank J 265 2.6 1.9 32.1 6.1 18.7 1.9 14.5 1.9 19.9 * The unclassified are here neglected. J There were sixteen blanks. Table VI bears the same relation to Table V that Table IV does to Table I, that is to say, the sub-classes have been divided equally between the adjacent classes. Table VI.—The same as Table V, with the Sub-classes merged in the adjacent Classes. A. B. c. D. E. Total 4 222* 3.4 38.9 26.5 15.3 15.3 Independent 176 1.9 41.9 20.3 13.8 21.5 Professional occupations... 242 5.7 50.3 20.1 12.7 10.7 Clerical occupations 176 4.2 47.9 22.9 16.1 8.4 Mercantile occupations ... 195 3.5 43.8 13.9 21.9 16.3 Tradesmen 378 4.3 40.3 17.3 18.6 18.8 Licensed victuallers 159 — 12.5 15.6 28.8 42.7 Artisans 807 5.6 40.6 26.8 12.3 14.2 Labourers 1,185 2.5 38.5 .33.4 13.3 11.4 Driving occupations 70 1.4 23.5 25.6 24.1 24.9 Farming occupations 333 1.8 42.9 28.9 14.5 11.7 Soldiers 47 4.2 15.8 40.2 12.6 26.5 Sailors 74 4.05 33.7 33.02 20.1 8.7 Domestic Servants 115 1.2 23.4 37.3 16.4 21.2 Miscellaneous and blank... 265 3.5 36.0 22.6 16.3 20.8 * The unclassified are here neglected. We have further constructed a table—Table VII—showing the relative alcoholic habits of the fourteen occupation-groups in a simpler but rougher manner. In this table the number of cases falling in the lower half of the alcoholic scale for each group is compared with that falling in the upper half of the scale. By the lower half of the scale is meant A+AB+B+BC-t-§C; by the higher half E 4- DE+D+CD +1C. The comparison is expressed in the form of a ratio, the lower half of the scale being taken as unity. For the sake of convenience this ratio will be termed “ the Ratio of Minor Drinking Habits,” and the reverse ratio will be called “ the Ratio of Major Drinking Habits,” or more briefly, “ the Ratio of Minor Habits” and “ the Ratio of Major Habits.” In Table VII the occupation-groups are placed in the descending series of their ratios of minor habits; and the ratio for the whole 4,222 cases is placed at the head for comparison. The table is divided by two gaps. First we have six groups in which the ratio of minor habits is higher than the normal; next, four in which it is lower than the normal, but still not less than unity; and finally, four groups in which the less temperate end of the scale exceeds the more temperate. Table VII.—Table showing the Ratio between the Cases falling in the Lower and those in the Higher Half of the Alcoholic Scale (“ Ratio of Minor Habits ”) for each of the Fourteen Occupation- groups. (The lower half includes A, AB, B, BC, and half of C. The higher half includes E, DE, D, CD, and half of C.) Ratio for all occimations ~~ 1 nr7< oa i tn 1. Professional occupations 2. Clerical occupations 3. Farming occupations 4. Artisans ... 5. Labourers 6. Sailors 7. Independent 8. Mercantile occupations 9. Tradesmen 10. Miscellaneous occupations „ 1 „ 0.51 „ 1 „ 0.57 „ 1 „ 0.65 „ 1 „ 0.66 „ 1 „ 0.71 „ 1 „ 0.76 „ 1 „ 0.83 „ 1 „ 0.84 „ 1 „ 0.87 „ 1 „ 0.91 1.25 1.60 1.80 3.81 11. Domestic servants 12. Soldiers ... 13. Driving occupations 14. Licensed victuallers Let us now inspect .Tables VI and VII. It will be seen that the ratio of minor habits is highest in the “ professional ” group, being, in fact, nearly 2 to 1. On turning to Table VI we observe that this group scores highest of all in classes A and B, and lowest of all in classes D and E taken together. Clerks, farmers, artisans, labourers, and sailors follow in order. It will be noted in Table VII that the clerks show the lowest