The Express.
London, England, 1866-06-20 00:00:00

THE SICK POOR IN WORKHOUSE INFIRMARIES.

The third and concluding day's proceedings at the
Rotherhithe Workhouse took place yesterday. Dr. Anstie
represented the association.
The evidence brought forward on this occasion on the
part of the guardians was that of Dr. Nichols, the assis-
tant medical officer to the workhouse before Miss Beeton
came, who stated that he had not seen any cruelty on
the part of the pauper nurses; and the Rev. R. Jones,
rector of Rotherhithe and chaplain of the workhouse, who
attested to the same thing. This witness was cross-
examined by the commissioner at some length ea to what
he knew about the matter, and he said be was sure the
people, if they had been ill-used, would have told him.
He thought the paupers' evidence was much exaggerated;
but he could not say in what particular, and he suggested
that the woman Briton might have beaten the patients
as a woman might beat a dirty child.
The witness Graham was recalled, and she, with every
appeararce of truth, said her evidence was not at all
exaggerated.
The Commissioner expressed an opinion that he thought
so, and entreated the clerk, if he had any evidence to rebut
that given by the paupers, to bring it forward.
The clerk confessed he had none, thought strict in-
quiries had been made.
A coroners officer was called to prove that an inquest was
held upon the man found in the ditch, but he said no
inquest had been held upon the person who had been
choked, or the man who had died upon the floor of the
infirmary.
A pauper wardsman was called to rebut the statement
about the patient dying upon the floor, but he allowed that
the man who bad got out of bed because there were
no bed-pans or night-stools, fell down, and had been got to
thebed, " and that was all," before he died. This witness,
who had bad to administer medicines, could not read the
name written in an open hand upon a bottle.
This closed the proceedings, and the report will be for-
warded to the Poor-law Board.

THZ HEALTH OF LONDON.—It appears from the
return issued by authority of the Registrar-General
that in the week that ended on Saturday, June
16, the births registered in London and twelve other
large towns of the United Kingdom were 4,261 ;
the deaths registered, 2,952. The annual rate of mor-
tality was 25 per 1,000 peesons living. In London the
births of 1.000 boys and 932 girls. in all 1,932 children,
were registered in the week. In the corresponding weeks
of ten years 1856-63 the average number, corrected for
increase of population, was 1928., The deaths registered
in London during the week were 1,370. It was the
twenty-fourth week of the year ; and the average number
of deaths for that week was, with a correction for in-
crease of population, 1,280. The actual return exceeds I
the estimated number by 152. Whooping-cough was
during a long period the moat fatal disease in the
zymotic class ; but last week the deaths from
measles rose to 80, while those from whooping-
cough declined to 71. Both small-pox and measles pre-
vail chiefly in the east districts. Four deaths from small-
pox occurred in the east sub-district of Haggerstone, 6 in
the Green sub-district of Bethnal-green. Six children died
of measles in the Woolilich Dockyard sub-district.
Diarrhosa was fatal in 20 cases. The following three deaths
from cholera were registered:--On 12th June, at 3, Arad-
bald-street, Bromley, the daughter of a mariner, aged 8
months, " choleraic diarrheas." On 12th June, at 16,
Dowson's-place, Mile-end New Town, the daughter of a
rag sorter aged 11 months, " choleraic diarrhosa (7 days)."
On 13th June, at 6, Swan-court, Newington, a watchman,
aged 55 years, " cholera (3 days)." It is a remarkable
circumstance that three deaths from hydrophobia were
registered in the week. The following are the particulars
of the cases :—A boatman, aged 15 years, who had been
brought from Hillington, near Uxlsridge, to Middlesex
Hospital, died on sth June of " hydrophobia from the
bite of a dog." (Post modem. Inquest.) A boy,
ued 3 years, died on 14th June, at 11, North-row,
Walham-green, from " bite of a dog (5 weeks), hydro-
Jobia (3 days)." A widow, aged 80 years, died on 7th
une, at 47, High-street, Islington, of " hydrophobia from
the bide of a dog"—(lnquest)-6ve months after the bite.
A girl, aged 10 weeks, died on 10th June, at 9, Pulford.
street, in the Belgrave sub-district, of " starvation or
atrophy ; exhaustion." In the workhouse, St. George-in-
the-East,
on 7th June, the wife of a stoker, aged 49 years,
" rinoops ; want of food ; privations "—post wort. (in-
quest). A woman, aged 32 years, died from " sea sick-
ness (38 days)." The followiag three deaths by carriage
accidents in the streets are recorded : —The sun of a shoe-
maker, aged 4 years, run over by an omnibus, died on 7th
June, at 18th, Arthur-terrace, Islington; the wife of a sail-
maker, aged 33 years, run over, died on 10th June in the
London Hospital ; and the daughter of a dairyman, aged
one year, run over by • cart inßurton-stmt, on
116 June, died tasterneer.