The Sun.
London, England, 1855-03-07 00:00:00

in scribed.

The deaths in the last seven weeks have been 10,968,
and have thus exceeded the weekly averages of the year
round by 2,288.
If we revert to the six cold weeks, when the mean
temperature was 28.4 deg., the varying influence of cold
on life at different ages becomes more apparent than it
was in the calculation that was based on five weeks.
Thus, after deducting the average deaths at each age, an
excess remains referable to the extreme cold in the num-
bers of 419 under the age of 20, of 200 at the age of
20-40, of 392 at the age of 40-60, of 752 at the age of
60.80, and of 205 at the age of 80 and upwards.

The cholera in six weeks of 1854 was four times as
fatal as the cold in 1855, and although its fatality in-
creased as age advanced, it followed a different law ;
thus in 10,000 living at the age of 20-40, the epidemic
cholera was fatal to 24, the cold to 2 ; in 10,000 per-
sons of the age of 40-60, cholera was fatal to 39, cold to
9 ; at the age 60.80 the proportions to the same number
(10,000) living were—cholera 64, cold 51 ; at the last
age (80-100), the proportions changed to cholera 90,
cold 207.

Thus as age increases the system rapidly loses the
power of producing internal heat ; an l the resulting
fatality by the reduction of temperature is doubled every
nine years after the age of 20 to 40.

- -- -
In what way is cold fatal? The returns show that in
London its effects are concentrated on the lungs, which
exhibit the various forms of congestion of blood in their
texture, from pneumonia and bronchitis to pulmonary
apoplexy.
The average deaths from pneumonia, bronchitis, and
asthma in six weeks are 951 ; the deaths from these
causes rose to 2,349 in the six cold weeks. Influeliza,
hooping-cough, croup, and a few other diseases of the
zymotic class ; mortification, cancer, scrofula, apoplexy,
paralysis, epilepsy, heart disease, terminated fatally in
proportions above the average ; so did consumption, but
to a slight extent only,
The cold therefore brings quickly to a fatal end many
chronic diseases which it does' not induce.

The moon was at the full on Saturday (March 3); the
barometer was low (29.358 in. mean of the week) ; the
mean temperature of the air was 49.8 deg., or nearly 1
deg. above the average, 9 deg. above the freezing point
of water, and 14 deg. above the mean temperature of the
previous week ; the dryness or the excess of temperature
above the dew point was 2.1 deg. ; the wind was S.W.,
and travelled at a daily rate rising from 50 miles on
Tuesday to 255 miles on Saturday. The sky was often
overcast, and eight-tenths of an inch of rain fell in the
seven days ; electricity was active and positive.
Last week the births of 838 boys and 888 girls, in all
1726 children, were registered in London. In the ten
corresponding weeks of the years 1845-54 the average
number was 1551.

MORTALITY IN THE METROPOLIS,
NUMBER OF DEATHS FROM ALL CAUSES REGISTERED

IN THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, MARCH 3
Zymotic Diseases
Diseases of Uncertain Seat
Tubercular Diseases
Diseases of the Brain, Nerves and Senses
Diseases of the Heart and Blood-vessels 63
Diseases of the Lungs and other Organs of
Respiration
Diseases of the Stomach, Liver, and other Organs
of Digestion
Diseases of the Kidneys, &c.
Childbirth, Diseases of the Uterus, &c.
Diseases of the Joints, Bores, and Muscles
Diseases of the Skin, &c.
Malformations
Premature Birth and Debility 3
Atrophy
Old Age
Sudden ll
Violence, Privation, Cold, and Intemperance 4O
Causes not specified

. 433

DEATHS FROM ALL CAUSES
Population Deaths in corre- Deaths
Enumerated. sponding week in the

1851. of 1554. Week.
West Districts
North Districts 490,396
Central Districts 393,256
East Districts 485,522
South Districts

Totals
Males
Females

1,135 1,560
748
812