The Sun.
London, England, 1849-02-12 00:00:00

' STATE OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH
IN THE LAST QUARTER OF 1848.
The quarterly returns of the mortality in 117
districts of England have been published, and are of
an interesting, and on the whole satisfactory, cha-
racter. Thirty-six districts are in the metropolis,
and the remaining 81 comprise, with some agricul-
tural districts, the principal towns and cities of Eng-
land. The population was 6,612,958 in 1841.
It is gratifying to find that the mortality of the
quarter has been below the average. Only 46,124
deaths have been registered. The deaths in the cor-
responding quarters of 1846 and 1847 were 53,055 and
57,925 ; so that notwithstanding some increase of
population the decrease of deaths on 1847 is 11,801 ;
and on 1846, 6,931. Taking the increase of popula-
tion into azconnt, the deaths are 2,571 below the
average of the deaths in nine preceding years.
The general mortality of the country was compa-
ratively low in the five years of 1841-5 ; in the
middle of 1846 epidemics set in, and proved fatal
through the rest of 1846, through 1847, and the
winter of 1848. A manifest improvement took place
in the spring of the year 1848 ; the summer was of
the average degree of health ; and although cases of
cholera have occured in Lonon and several districts
during this quarter, the returns prove that the epi-
demic has hitherto produced no sensible effect on the
mortality.
The deaths in London were 14,725, of which 5,137
were caused by diseases of the zymotic class, namely,
1,765 by scarlatina, 883 by typhus, 472 by hooping-
cough, 126 by erysipelas. Scarlatina has been
epidemic, and has raged with great violence. It has
destroyed more lives than any other disease, and
shows no sign of abatement. The deaths by scar-
latina in each of the four quarters of 1848 were-
-615, 816, 1,560, and 1,765 ; making 4,756 deaths in
the aggregate. Smallpox was fatal to 413 persons,
chiefly children who had never been vaccinated. The
deaths from smallpox lin the autumns of 1841-47
were-75, 108, 114, 571, 106, 42, and 372. Nearly
all these deaths arose from the neglect of vaccination,
which, under a recent Act of the Legislature, is
nevertheless gratuitously performed on all appli-
cants, at stations in every district of London.
Typhus was fatal to 883 persons; this disease is
decreasing, for the deaths in the autumn of 1847
were 1,279. The deaths from cholera were 468 ; the
deaths in the autumns of the seven previous:years were
—3, 13, 14, 5, 11, 15, 12. Consumption was less fatal
than usual; only 1,450 persons died of that malady.
Heart diseases, lung diseases, and liver diseases were
much less fatal, not only than in 1847, when influ-
enza was prevalent, but less fatal than in the autumn
of 1846; 163
_pothers died in childbirth; about
17,774 children were born alive; so that 1 mother
died to every 109 children born alive. Of the deaths,
100 were ascribed to metria, or childbirth fever. The
mortality from this cause is high and deserves grave
consideration. 13 deaths were ascribed directly to
intemperance. 34 deaths are referred to delirium
tremens, generally the result of drinking spirits to
excess, a slow but certain suicide. Of the violent
deaths 24 were caused by poison, 31 by wounds,
22 by hanging, 68 by drowning, 63 burns and scalds,
131 by fractures and contusions.
1 The mortality in Brighton and Portsea Island have
been high during the quarter. Scarlatina prevailed
in Brighton, smallpox in Portsea Island; typhus in
both districts. Windsor was also visited by typhus
and scarlatina, and a vagrant died there of English
cholera after 21 hours' illness. The aggregate mor-
tality of Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire, and Berk-
shire, in the three last autumns was above the
.ave-
rage ; the births were 11,834 ; the deaths, 8,035.
Th mortality of St. Albans, and of Great Mar-
low, Wycombe, was above the average. Scarlatina
prevailed in both districts. Bedford, Northampton,
and Oxford were unusually healthy. Typhus pre-
vailed at Cambridge, and several cases of cholera were
but slightly increased. The deaths in the South
Midland counties were 6,655 ; the births were 8,996.
The mortality of Colchester, Ipswich, Norwich,
and Yarmouth deviated little from the average of the
preceding autumn quarters. On the whole, Essex,
Suffolk, and Norfolk were much healthier than in the
autumn of 1846, but less healthy than in the autumn
of 1847.

The same remarks will apply to Wiltshire, Dorset-
shire, Devonshire, Cornwall, and Somersetshire. The
births were 12,595, the deaths 8,290. Exeter and Bath
have been unusually healthy; the parishes surround-
ing Exeter, in the district of St. Thomas, suffere d
from scarlatina, measles, and fever. Plymouth and
Penzance have been unhealthy, Smallpox destroyed
85 lives in Plymouth. Only one of the 37 who died
in the sub-district of Charles the Martyr had been
vaccinated. Dysentery was epidemic in Penzance
and St. Ives. Sickness prevailed very much in Ma-
razion ' • from want of employment great numbers o f
the labouring classes left the district.
The deaths in Bristol, Stroud, Cheltenham, and
Hereford were somewhat more numerous than in
the autumn of 1847. Scarlatina and smallpox pre-
vailed slightly in Bristol. The registrar of St. Mary,
Redcliffe, justly complains that the burial of the dead
is too long deferred in his district.

The mortality of Clifton, Shrewsbury, Worcester,
and Kidderminster was rather lower than in pre-
ceding years. A most striking improvement is ob-
served in the health of the coal and iron districts of
Staffordshire and Warwickshire. The deaths regis-
tered in Birmingham during the autumn quarters of
1844-8 were 964, 777, 1,338, 1,795, and 851. In
Dudley, Walsall, and Wolverhampton, the diminu-
tion in the mortality of the last quarter of 1848 is
equally striking. In Wolstanton and Coventry the
mortality also declined. The deaths registered in all
the districts of Gloucestetshire Herefordshire, Shrop-
shire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, and Warwick-
shire, were 12,859, 12,742, and 10,477, in the autumn
quarters of 1846-8. There were fewer births in
1848 than in 1846. The births in the autumn quarter
of 1848 were 16,004, the deaths only 10,477.
In Nottingham and Derby the mortality was low.
Diarrhoea and dysentery were unusually prevalent at
Nottingham in October, and one case of cholera oc-
curred in November. Mumps attacked several indi-
viduals in confined and unhealthy localities, but the
disease was not fatal. Smallpox was prevalent in
Leicester ; scarlatina in Lincoln ; typhus in both dis-
tricts; and the mortality was higher than in the au-
tumn of 1847. In the five counties of Leicestershire,
Rutlandshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, and
Derbyshire, the deaths were 6,863, 6,002, and 5,700,
in the autumn quarters of 1846-8. The births in
the last quarter were 8,964.
The mortality of Stockport and Macclesfield ;
Chester, Liverpool, and West Derby; Blackburn,
Preston, Rochdale, Bury, Bolton, Wigan, and Pres-
cot ; Chorlton, Manchester, Salford, Ashton and Old-
ham, was lower than in the autumn quarter of
1846 ; in some districts the reduction in the
mortality was fifty per cent. In Preston, 968,
636, and 424 ; in Manchester, 2,318, 2,210,
and 1,651 deaths were registered in the autumn
quarters of 1846.7-8 ; in the same quarters the total
deaths registered in Lancashke and Cheshire were
20,392, 18,696, and 14,896. The births were 21,245
and 19,425 in the autumn quarters of 1846 and 1848.
The births and deaths decreased. The decrease of
mortality is ascribed to improvements in trade ; and
by some to the removal of the population. The com-
mercial depression began in 1846 ; the mills were
stopped and were only partially opened in 1847 1
many persons therefore removed to towns where par-
ticular manufactures offered employment, and have
not been induced to return now that trade has been
restored.

The mortality in the great town districts of York-
shire has been below the average ; and very much
below the mortality of the two preceding autumns.
The deaths in Sheffield were 803, 734, 591, in the
autumn quarters 1846-7-8; in Huddersfield, 959,
708, 649 ; in Bradford, 1,086, 895, 833 ; Leeds and
Hunslet, L 390, 1,413, and 1,082 ; Hull, 404, 489,
and 319 ; York, 343, 522, and 321. Three cases
death by cholera were registered in Huddersfield ;
three (called English cholera) in Horton, Bradfordin
12 in the Humber sub-district of Hull eight
Micklegate, York. Leeds is healthy, brust'ondsia.rrThec
and dysentery have been fatal to a few_
deaths registered in the districts
21,190, 10,508, and 9,005 int the oft uoorek
as
uh
ti
ur em were
e ro ef
1846-7-8. The births in , then
_,883. quarters of
1846 and 1848 were 13,96 J ad,cl 13
Tynemouth, New-
The mortality in Gateshead,
Cockermouth, was
New-
castle-on-Tyne, Carlisle, and
quarters of 1846-7.
much lower than in the
The deaths in Newcastle were 888, 904, and 420 in
in t s9h2e a. di,
04256 u,
n2d9e3r,l
aanndd, 231597;,
the three quarters ;
.79 and _
in Carlisle, Szi •
496, and 400. Cases of cholera have occurred in
Sunderland, Tynemouth, and Newcastle-on-Tyne.
The deaths in Durham, Northumberland, Cumber-
land, and Westmoreland, were 6,809, 5,653, and 4,411
in the autumn quarters of 1846-7-8. The mortality
decreased 35 per cent. The births were 7,374 in the
last quarter of the year 1846, and 7,996 in the last
quarter of 1848.
The mortality of Merthyr Tydvil, Newtown, end
Ilolywell, is lower than it was in the corresponding
quarters of 1846-7. In Wrexham, 302 persons died
within three months, the sanitary condition of the
town being wretched.
The deaths in Wales and Monmouthshire were
5,903, 5,600, and 5,286 in the autumn quarters of
1640-7-8. The births were 8,527 in the Alittalan