The Sun.
London, England, 1848-02-11 00:00:00

" MORTALITY OF NOTTINGHAM.

Ward. Deaths to each 100.
( Byrne's Ward
Worst • St. Ann's Ward 1 in 36
( St. Mars's Ward
Castle Ward
Best Sherwood Ward.
Park Ward 1 in 50"
What he (Lord Morpeth) wanted to show was, that
death daily occurred from causes that the Legislature
could remove. Very recently he bad seen a statement
in one of the papers, which he would read to the
Rouse:—

" A long investigation recently took place before Mr.
Baker, at the Windmill, Rosemary-lane, on view of the
body of Mary White, aged two years. The inquiry
was instituted by the medical officer of the White-
chapel Union, in consequence of the many deaths which
have taken place from a similar cause. Ann Briant,
married woman, said she had lived in Hayes-
court about a week ; during that period there was
scarcely a house in which some one was not ill of fever.
The child, her mother said, had been labouring under a
fever for two mouths. Witness for the last week as-
sisted the mother to attend the child. It died on Tues-
day. Witness had no doubt that its death was caused
by the impure atmosphere of the court. Several of the
jury observed that the witness seemed to bo in a state of
tever, and Mr. Webb, the summoning officer, said that
the whole of the inhabitants of the court had the same
appearance. Mr. John Liddle, surgeon of Whitechapel
Union, said that he was first called to see the deceased
on the 20th of August, in compliance with an order. It
was then suffering from fever and diarrhoea. The
parent would not let him go into the room, alleging that
it was offensive and dangerous, and the mother brought
the child to him at the next house. He prescribed for
it, but the medicines would not act as they would have
done in a healthy atmosphere. Witness has now six
pAtients in that court. The first witness stated that she
knew two children in another house, one of whom was
dying of the fever, another was very bad.—Coroner
(to the surgeon)—Do you register this a natural death?
Mr. Liddle—No; a death from the poisonous effluvia
of the atmosphere from the want of drainage. It
has been proved that the gas, in its pure state,
ari:ing from the decomposition of animal matter, is
fatal; and M. Thenard, a French chemist, has found
that 1.800 of its volume will destroy a dog, and 1 volume
in 250 is sufficient to destroy a horse. Some course
ought to be adopted, as the whole neighbourhood was
liable to be attacked with fever. The jury returned the
following verdict:—"lhat the deceased died from
diarrhoea and fever, caused by the noxious and poisonous
effluvium in Hayes-court from want of drainage.' "
Mr. Roche, surgeon to the Lying-in Hospital, Liver-
pool, gives the followw•ing account to the editor of the
✓ournal of Public Health, of a case which had come
under his notice:—_

" On the 28th of September, 1846, I was requested
to visit a young man residing at Ilardwick-terrace,
Present-street. I faund him suffering from a severe ate
tack of dysentery; and via, not many minutes in the
house when the smell all through the lower part of it
became most offensive, arising from the privy and cess-
pool, which were situated about four feet from the ball.
011 making inquiry, I was informed that whenever any-
thing was throe is into it the stench was scarcely to be
endured through the house, even to the upper rooms. One
disaster after another occurred in this family; the father
eed two younger children were attacked with dysen-
tery, the mother (who was near her confinement) soon
beettnie a prey to the same disease ; and then, to crown
the sivi catastrophe, the two eldest children were seized
with typhus fever, and the father's case took on typhoid
symptoms. Here, then, were seven human beings placed
in jeopardy by a most unwarrantable nuisance ; and it
is to be feared that this is only one instance among
many in this town. The mother and youngest child
with the infant died ; all the others were spared, but
their recoveries were very tedious, until I had them re-
moved to another house in the neighbourhood, when in
twenty-four hours the change in the father's case was
most remarkable, nod all the children got rapidly better,
but the pecuniary resources of the family were entirely