The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-03-22 00:00:00

POVERTY AND PUBLIC HEALTH.

The exceptional poverty and distress afflicting a
large section of the population must inevitably pro-
duce a disastrous effect on public health. That the.
distress is not so great in the metropolis as in Sheffield,
Lancashire, and other provincial towns or counties we
te eeeeetheleee been suTdently
acute to produce in many instances, great bodny
deterioration, and this, if taken in conjunction with
the severity of the winter, will account for the notable
Increase in the death-rate. The middle classes, suffer-
ing from the commercial depression, have been obliged
to reduce their expenditure, especially in matters of
luxury. The poorer classes, however, enjoying but few
luxuries on which they could economise, have been
compelled to deprive themselves of the necessities of
life; while that large section of the population which,
at beat, is living on the brink of starvation, has been
forced over the border and made to endure all the
horrors of insufficient food and absolute want. We
have aecertained by numerous inquiries, that in poor
quarters the publicans are doing very little business;
the butchers and small eating-house keepers sell much
less meat than during the usual winter; the consump-
tion of tea and groceries has also sensibly fallen off ;
but, on the other hand, the bakers are doing a good
business, for bread is about the cheapest available
food. These facts are very significant. The amount of
nutritious food consumed in these poor quarters is
never sufficient to maintain all the inhabitants in good
health; but,. now that this supply has sensibly d.
er
we mest expect to find a great want of tone,
and witnese all the depressing influences that render a
People specially susceptible to the danger of infection.
Indeed, scarlet fever is already reported to be very rife
in various quarters. That the distress is exceptionally
severe and dangerous appears from the complaints
made by tradesmen in poor quarters; but the
increase of pauperism and the overcrowded
condition of the London workhouses further con-
firm our opinion. During the last week of
January; there were 44,V0d. inme..tes in the work-
houses, showing an increase of 2,900 on the correspond-
ing week of last year; at the same time the number of
recipients of out-door relief had also increased in spite
of all the stringent efforts made of late to refuse as-
sistanue of this 4escription. Again, during the first
week of February there was a further increase, the
workhouses containing 45,095 persons. In noting these
figures we must not omit the fact, still further con-
firmed by our present investigations, that the poor, as
a rule, will not go into the workhouse, however great
their poverty. The riff-raff drift into the " house"
during bad times; the poor sempatress or the more
respectable labourer starves outside,—Lancet.

The Portuguese Government has issued a decree
prohibiting the importation from the United States of pork
in every shape, in consequence of the prevalence of trichi-
nosis: •

"Britons I—We have two wars and no general
patriotic fund. Are there no patriots among us to start one?
Prodigal of aid to all others, shall we forget those who die
and those who suffer for Britain? Shall we neglect our own
soldiers and tailors ? Shame of us Uwe do, says Little Jolin
liobody."—Advertisentent in The Times.l