The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1860-02-07 00:00:00

BIRTHS.

The births of 170,091 children were registered in the
quarter that elided 011 the 31st of Deceinber. The number
in 12,084 in excess of the number registered in the corm.
spoaiJiug quarter of the previous year. The birthiatte was
3402; it is the highust on tecord. The average of the
season is 3'197

G.;9,558 children were registered in the year, or 1,889
daily.

INCREAME OF POPULATION.

The births exceeded the deaths by 60,641, and that was
therefore nearly the natural increase of the population in
92 days. Thus the population of England and Welts in-
creased at the rate of 659 daily; and the probable natu-
ral increase of the population of the united kinidinii was
988 daily.
In the year the excess of births over deaths was
248,309, or 680 daily in England and Wales. In the
united kingdom the natural increase must have exceeded
1,009
24,118 emigrants sailed froin the ports of the united
kingdom at which there are Dovernment emigration
officers, and about 9,611 of them were of English origin.
During the year 120.432 emigrants sailed (ruin our shores,
of whom about 40,215 were English, 12,071 Scotch,
62,811 Irish, and 5,260 were foreigners.

PRICEM,_THE.WEATHKR, AND PAUP6RIBII.

The prices Of tool, the westlier, and the state of enr.
ployment influence, to a certain extent, the births,
deaths. err 4 inarrhige4 gif the population.
%Vilest was sold at the average rate of 4d. a quar-
ter during the Isst 13 weeks of the year 1859 ; in the cor-
re.poniling weeks of 1857 and IssB the price wax 525.
and 41s. 91. The price of this great article if food flue-
tusted little, and has been moderate during the last two
years. The average price of beef by the carcase at
Leadenhall and Newgate markets was 5441., of mutton
'Std. a pound. The price of meat fluctuates less than the
price of bread but taking the 1110111 of the two articles
the price has followed the satne ounrie as the price of
wheat. So the price of potatoes, which fluctuates largely
and has an evident effect on the public health, was 1405.,
87s. tid., and 102 s. Cal. a ton in tine last 13 weeks of the
three years 1357, 1853, and 1859.
. . . .

The meteorology of the season was remarkable for its
excess of beat and cold. Very severe weather set in on
October the 21s1 ; it was followed by a warm week (No-
vember the lot to the 8th); then the cold weatLet re-
turned and became intense, the temperature falling all
over the country below the freezing !mint of water (:r2
deg.). and in many places; descending below 10 deg. At
Norwich the low point of 1 deg. was observed; at Holii•
ham. 31 deg.; at Lauipeter. 2 deg. below ter.'. The
weather after December the lint because again unusually
warns until the end of the year. The rainfall was ST
inch, or 1•6 inch above the average of the motor.
Nearly 26 inches of rails fell during the year. or half an
inch in excess of the average. In the four previous year.
the rainfall was deficient.

Pauperism has gradually declined. The average num-
ber of paupers in receipt of relief dnr ng the last 13
weeks of Dili. 1858, 1859, were respectitely 859,756
826,655, and /11:1,3:11.

STATE OF PUBLIC HEATH.

109.450 deaths were registered in the last quarter of
the year 1874, and the mortality was at the rate of
2189 per cent, per annum. This is slightly above the
average rate (21t13), but is much below the rates in the
corresponding quarters of the two previous years (2'263
and 2402).
In the last year 441,249 deaths were registered ; and
the mortality was at the rata of 2231 per cent. ; or
rather nore than 22 1.3 died out of I,OW living.
. . • . .

By a careful induction, drawn from an ;xtensive
series of observations on various portions of the popula-
tion, it appeared that the deaths should not have ex-
ceeded 323,616 in the year, at what may be provisionally
called the natural rate, actually prevailing in 63 districts
of the country. The 118,633 deaths in excess of this
number were, therefore, unnatural deaths.

If we divide the piqiulation into two nearly equal
parts, the town population, it is found, died at the rate
of nearly 2.5 in 1,000; tli, oountry population at the
rate of 19 in 1,000 on an average during 10 previous
autumn quarters. In the last quarter the mortality of
the towns was between 1 and 2 in I,OIXI below the
average. This reduction may be fairly referred to the
full employment of the people is, the manufacturing
districta, and to the partial sanitary improvements
which have been made in several large towns. That it
is not the effect of the weather, or of any universal cause
is proved by the fact that in the country and small town
districts the mortality rose from the average of 19 to 20
deaths out of 1,000 hiviim._

The discases'of the lungs were unusually fatal in con-
sequence of the severity of the weather; and the new
throat disease (diphtheria) has caused much sickness,
and in some places has destroyed many live..
. .

Fever hai. also been unusually prevalent in certajo
districts. Pathologiata now diatinguish three kimia fit
fever which have been hitherto confounded together,
and are still apparently undiatinguished by a certain
number of medical practitioners. The typhoid fever, or
typhia. as it may be called to thatinguish it f typhus,
Dr. Southwood Smith, Dr. Murchison, and others have
shown, is a kind a Ilight•Sliii fever. It was the cause of
many deaths in families during the quarter. Thus, in
the auh-district of Lyncombe, near Bath, the registrar
reports five CAM% of typhoid fever at Old6eld Cottage;
three had terminated fatally, and another death was
hourly expected. The tlealL114;11 young ladies, aged 19,
lff. and 15. were the daughters of a lieutenant-colonel,
who °limas.' his conviction that imperfect drainage
was the cause of his most &Amusing loss. This fever
hag prevailed at 11.-.lford ; rich and pour have been
affected. Twenty-six deaths from it have happened in
the town during the last three ths. People are
suddenly attacked with considerable irritability of the
bowelu; tendernma of the right iliac region. gurgling
of the bowels, the eruption of rose-coloured spots,
delirium, and sometimes perforation of the in-
teatines follow. Relapses are frequent. Foul cess-
Imola are flume in the town and the drain-
age is '.cry defective. The soil is mostly gra-
velly, porous, and affected by soakage. Water con•
tamination is frequent. A wheelwright.* wife, aged 37,
died f the fever un tietot.er 31 ; a labourer's wife, agml
25, on November 16; a dsiryinan's son, aged 23, on
I December 7; a physiciall'a daughter. aged 20, on
December 15 ; a captain's daughter, aged 18, on Decem-
ber 18 ; a dealer's son, aged 96. on December 21; and
the curate, aged 24, died of the seine low fever, with
hadiuorrhi,e, on December :91. These tragical losses
would uncrouldedly be less frequent. nay, would nut be
sustained, if the earth, air, and water of the town were
effectively purified. More than 50 eases of the fever
occurred in the aniall village of Ilartfield (East (sriiii•
steml, Sussex). where the drainage has been much
neglected and the sanitary arrangi smote of the bungee
generally are bad. The fever 11111, been very prevalent
at Newport, and its neighbourhood, in the Isle of Wight;
it destroyed 13 lives. At Leinsford, in the flatheld
trict, on the hanks of the Lea, several persons were
attacked, and two died. When this disease enters a
house, it generally attacks several members of the same
family. The regiatrara cite instances. The intro‘luction
uf the disease can aonietimes be tracial. Thus, a woman
went to Yarmouth to nurse her daughter, who dial,
and was brought to Billingford to be buried. Arts. weds
the mother, a daughter aged 24 years, and a son aged 14
years, died of the same fever. Two inure members of
the family were attacked, but are now better. The
house stands apart, and the disease hoes not extended to

_
soy other fami y. Portland is crowded by men em-
ployed in the Government works ; and yet patients
suffering frein smallpox, measles, or typhoid fever are,
the registrar complains, distributed in private lodgings
among the inhabitants; he has registered one death by
fever. Other illustrations of the fatal prevalence of
typhoid fever will be found in the registrars' notes.

While there is an increue which is not inconsiderable in
the deaths (ruin all causes, it is satisfactory to remark •
decreace lank week in smallpox, and also • continued de-
crease in icailstinh. The deaths from the former
Abscise. were 26; 2 of these occurred in one family in the
Loudon•road sob-district. From scarlatina the deaths
in the last three weeks were successively 62, 48, and 33.
LitA week there were 11 from diphtheria. Nine infante
died from syphilitic disease; and no less than 16 from
suffoLation, apparent! by accident, and all, or for the
most part, in bed. Two children, one at the age of 6
weeks, the other 7 weeks, end belonging to the same
were suffocated in bed, the Conner on the 7th
and the Litter on the 17th inst. The registrar of the
Kent:rotil subolistrict returns three children, belonging
to aitfereut families, who were 'accidentally suffocaW
in bed," two on the 17th inst., and one on the 23rd.
Two persons died from privation.
The oldest person who died last week was • widow,
aged 96 years.
Last week the births of 1,089 boys and 978 girls, in
all 2,067 children, were registered in London. In the
ten oorruponding weeks of the years 1850.9 the average
number was 1,601.