The Sun.
London, England, 1858-06-23 00:00:00

HEALTH OF LONDON DURING THE

WEEK.

(From the Report of the Registrar General.)
The deaths in London, which in the previous
week had fallen as low as 963, rose in the week
ending Saturday, June 19, to 1,160. In the 10
years 1848-57 the average number of deaths in the
weeks corresponding with last week was 958 ; but,
as the present return is for a population which has
annually increased, it can only be compared with
the average when the latter has been raised in pro-
portion to the increase, a correction which will
make it 1,053. The result'of the comparison is that
the deaths of last week exceeded by about 100 the
number which the average rate of mortality for the
middle of June would have produced.
Taking the results of the last two weeks, it ap-
pears that deaths from zymotic diseases rose from
253 to 286 ; those from " local diseases" from 323
to 422 ; the " developmental," from 127 to 142 ;
violent deaths from 23 to 70 ; while deaths from
" constitutional diseases" (comprising phthisis,
scrofula, hydrocephalus, dropsy, cancer, &c.), ex-
hibited in the two weeks the same number—viz.,
227. The increase under violence is due to casual
irregularity in the registration of deaths of this de-
scription ; the increase in the zymotic class of dis-
eases, and propably to some extent under other heads,
is the effect of the late extreme heat of the weather.
Measles, scarlatina, and hooping-cough showed but
slight change, while typhus (including common fever)
rose from 21 to 41, and d;arrhcea from 18 to 31.
Diarrhoea, however, exceeds the corrected average
only in a trifling degree. Two young children died
of cholera. Deaths from disease of the heart in-
creased from 31 to 49 ; those from pneumonia from
39 to 51 ; disease of the liver from 11 to 21; those
of the kidneys from Bto 24. Five deaths from scar-
latina occurred in the sub-district of St. Peter's,
Walworth ; 4 in that of Lambeth Church (2d part).
Of four nonagenarians who died in the week the
oldest was a man aged 98 years.
Last week the births of 729 boys and 752 girls,
in all 1,481 children, were registered in London.
In the 10 corresponding weeks of the years 1848-57
the average number was 1,448.
COMPOSITION OF THE WATER SUPPLIED BY EIGHT
OF THE METROPOLITAN WATER COMPANIES IN
MAY 1858.

The amount of impurity is expressed in degrees,
each degree being equivalent to 1 grain of foreign
matter present per gallon. The analyses were made
by Dr. 'Thomson, F.R.S., of St. Thomas's Hos-
pital.

Companies.

Total Organic
Impurity. Impurity.
grs. or deg. grs. or deg.

Distilled water

0.0
Kent
New River
Grand Junction 17.08 I'Bo
Southwark
Chels3a 1.3.20 1.63
Lambeth 18.48 1.60
East London
West Middlesex

All the samples were taken from the mains, with
the exception of the Lambeth sp,-cimen, which was
procured from a service-pipe at Champion-hill. The
present table, when compared with that for the
preceding month, exhibits a greater equality in the
composition of the waters generally, in consequence
of the absence of rain, which has a tendency to
augment the impurity.
At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the mean
height of the barometer in the week was 29.803
inches. The highest barometrical reading was
29.99 inches on Saturday. The mean terrperature
of the week was 67.7 deg., which is 8.5 deg. above
the average of the same week in 43 years (as deter-
mined by Mr. Glaisher). On Monday, Tuesday,
and Wednesday the mean daily temperature was
from 13 deg. to 17 deg. in excess of the average.
On Wednesday, which was the hottest day, the
thermometer in the shade rose to 94.5 deg. ; the
lowest point was 61.5 deg. The lowest tempera-
ture iu the week was 48.5 deg. on Saturday, and
the extreme range was the; efore 46 deg. The mean
daily range was 27.1 deg. Ete difference between
the mean dew-point temperature and air tempera-
ture was 101 deg. ; the mean degree of humidity
of the air was 69 ; on Wednesday it was only 56,
complete saturation being represented by 100. On
that day the wind was in the east ; dur;ng the rest
of the week it was in the south-west. The mean
temperature of the water of the Thames was 69.6
deg., or about 2 deg. higher than that of the air,
and so far favourable to evaporation. Some rain
fell on the afternoon of Friday.
The medical officer of the Dreadnought Hospital
ship appends the following note to his report :
The water of the Thames stinks most abomin-
ably. I cannot but think that the foul air has a
deleterious effect on the health •of the patients of
this hospital, and I know that it has had something
to do with the induction of fever in two instances
on the orlop deck, the ports of which are only a
few feet from the surface of the water. Several men
on board, myself among the number, have suffered
slightly from diarrhoea."

Spine particulars relating to the very high tem-
perature of Wednesday, June 16, 1858, are com-
municated to the Registrar-General by the Astro-
nomer Royal :
" Early in the morning the temperature of the
air in the shade was 61.5 deg., this increased to
82.7 deg. by 9 h. a.m., to 87.5 deg. by 10 h. a.m.,
to 89 0 deg. by 11 h. a.m., to 90.0 by noon, to
91.6 deg. by 0 h. 45 m.p.m., and to 94.5 deg. by
lb. p.m. ; decreased to 93.3 deg. by lb. 20m. p.m.,
to 91.8 de.r. by 2h. p.m, to 90.4 deg by 3h. p.m, to
72.2 deg. by Oh. p.m., and to 629 deg. during the
nigh t.

1' The mean temperature of the day was 76.9 deg.
exceeding the average for the day by 17.6 deg.,
being a greater departure from the avenge than
Mr. Glaisher has ever experienced.
"In the year 1818 the mean temperature of
June 13 was 76.1, and there is no instance since of
so high a mean temperature in the month of June.
"In the year 1818, on July 24, the mean tem-
perature of the day was 79.2 deg.; iu 1825, on July
15, 18, and 19, the mean temperatures were 79.1
deg., 78.2 deg., and 78.6 deg. nspeotively, ani in
1830, on July 30, it was 76.3 deg., and this is the
most recent instance of a mean daily temyerature
exceeding 76 deg. till that of last Wednesday,
June 16.

"In these several instances of high moan tempe-
rature the nights were very warm, having all been
of a temperature much higher than that of June
16, but it is believed that there is no instanca of so
high a maximum as 94.5 deg. before last week. In
1846, on July 5, the temperature rose to 93 deg.,
and on June 28, 1857, it was as high as 92.7 deg.
"The reading of the thermometer, whose indica-
tions are usually referred to as the highest in the
sun, at 9 a.m. was 106.8 deg., at noon was 115.5
deg., and at 1 p.m. was 117'7. The reading of a
blackened bulb thermometer, with its bulb° in a
glass globe, placed beside the ordinary sun thermo-
meter, at 9 a.m. mid 127.2 deg., at 10 a.m. 133.0
deg., at noon 135/ deg., at 1 p.m. 136.0 deg., and
at 3 p.m. 133.0 deg.

similar thermometer to the last, and placed
on grass, read at 9 a.m, 134.7 deg., at 10 a.m. 144
deg., at 11 a.m. 141 deg., at noon 141.6 deg., at
1 p.m., 145.0 d(g., and at 3 p.m. 143 deg.
"The lowest reading on grass eArly in the morn-
ing was 47.8 deg. ; the highest temperature of the
air as recorded at Lewisham was 94 degrees."