The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1879-08-19 00:00:00

INCREASING HEALTHINESS OF
WEYMOUTH.

On a former occasion we had the pleasure of dis-
proving sundry lax and ill-founded charges against
the comparative healthiness of Weymouth. The
means used were the most legitimate proofs that can
be obtained in such cases—the returns of the Registrar
General, which at the time clearly proved Weymouth
to be above the average of watering-places in sanitary
condition, and fully worthy of the preference of our
summer and autumn visitors. At that time the low
rate of mortality in the fashionable watering-place of
I)orset was a trifle over 16 in the woo, and the insin-
uations of a certain energetic but precipitate new
arrival in the town were entirely disproved. Wc have
had the most abominable accusations lately brought
against the town by interested Bristolianz, accusations
which would amount to deliberate falsehoods were it
not for some colour being given them by the action
taken by the Corporation against the occupiers of
timber-pounds within the borough area. But we are
happy to be able entirely to give the disproof direct to
these accusations, and that by the same authority as
we used on the last occasion—the returns of the
Registrar-General. These returns state that the
average rate of mortality in the 46 watering-places
and health-resorts named by that high officer
for the quarter ending June, 1879, was nearly IS per
1003, it being actually 17.8. Of these, 23 places ex-
perienced an exceptionally low mortality. For instance
Lowestoft had only 17.7 per thousand, Scarborough,
17.5; Eastbourne ( with scarlet fever) 17.3; hart-
mouth, 16.5 : Penzance, 16.4; Ikal and Waltner, 16.3 ;
New Brighton, 16.3; Margate, 15.9; Dover, 15.9;
and WEVMOUTI I had only 15.4 per two, or less
than IS and a half.

It is still more gratifying to linil that these low hg
ures indicate a stemly improvement in the sanitary
state of Weymouth, for, whereas, during the ten years,
iB6l —lB7o, the mortality was as high as 20.3 per
thimuind, in 1878 it had fallen to 15.9, or a little under
16 per thousand, so that the present figures indicate an
improvement of .5 per thousand in one year, and an
improvement of 4.9 per thousand over the decade of
1861—yo. .

. - -
But even this is not all that we have to be gratified
about; the generally accepted test of the sanitary
arrangements of a place is the death-rate from zyrnotic
diseases, which are generally supposed to be partially
preventible bygoixl arrangements, and lobe aggravated,
if not caused, by bad drainage. Now this test is more
triumphantly in favour of Weymouth than even that
of the general death-rate, for whereas in 1878 the
rymotic death-rate was only 1.5 per two, last half-year
this rate had actually fallen to 0.7 per thousand, or to
less than one.half what it was before. It will plainly
appear that this rate is remarkably low, when we state
that at Brighton, the symotic death-rate wu nearly
double that of Weymouth. being 1.3 per IMO, and
the average rate for the whole of England and Wales
was over three timesashighas that of Weymouth, being
2.t5 per two. Thus Weymouth, as far an regards the
supposed preventible diseases—scarlet fever, whooping
cough, measles, fever, diarrhea, diphtheria, and small
pox, is nearly twice as healthy as Brighton, and more
than three times as healthy as the average of England
and \Vales. DiscENs.

WATERING PLACES AND SITNIMER RESORTS.
As usual, in this quarterly return are published the rates
of mortality for the quuter ending June 1979, in 46 water.
Ins places and health resorts. The mean annual mortality
In thaw watering-places wae 1714 per IMO, which was not
only lower than the mortality of the country generally,
but lower than that in the rural districts. There were
considerable differences; thus the following places
experienced an exceptionally low mortality :-Littlehamp-
ton 101, Lyme Regis 114, Worthing 129, Bognor 126,
Clifton 129, Buxton 131, Tunbridge Wells 115, Malvern
136, Weston-super-Mace 141), Torquay 145, Herne Bay
1411, Yarmouth 15-1, Isle of Wight 152, Weymouth 15-4,
Dover 159, Margate 151, New Ilrighton 1143. Deal and
Widmer 161, Penzance 161, Dartmouth 169, Eastbourne
(notwithstanding the fatality of scarlet fever) 171, Scar.
borough 173, and Lowestoft 177. On the other band, the
following places experienced a mortality above the
average :-Brighton 1141), Ramagate and Broadstairs 191.,
Cheltenham 181, Matlock 191, Whitby 19-5, Bath 197,
Bangor 1914, Abenwtwith 1914, Southport 199, Southend
1914, Dawlish and Teigarnouth 201, Meetings and Ht.
Leonard. 211, Ilfracombe 215. Sidmouth 1,13, Rhyl 121.
Exmouth 219. Tenby M 7, Llandudno (Creuddyn sub.
distrirt) VW, Folkestone ILI. Leamington 2411, Blackpool
and Fleetwood 117, Beaumaris 247, and Harrogate 3133.
-Registrar Generate Estonia