The Sun.
London, England, 1858-10-02 00:00:00

MORTALITY IN 1856.

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To the able reports of Dr. Greenhow and Mr. Simon
mmunmation
ity.
we have already frequently referred, as containing
bwvaluableehrcohfih e interests,nefoo
of our so-called " mortal" diseases has been satis-
factorily established by Mr. Simon and his colleague.
The following facts, relating to the causes of death
in 1856, arc derived from an appendix to the
Registrar-General's Return for that year from the
pen of Dr. William Farr, F.R.S., one of the most
learned and eminent statisticians and medical
philosophers of the age. The year 1856 was re-
markable for its low rate of mortality, differing
from 1854 in the diminished number of deaths by
cholera and other zymotic diseases, and from 1855
in the reduced inunbcr of deaths by catarrh, in-
fluenza, and pneumonia. The people were not de-
stroyed by the severities of the winter, nor by the
pestilenees of the summer. The air moved faster
at Greenwich in the year than in the three preced-
ing years, and this rapidity of motion is very use-
ful m carrying off the organic particles that float
over human habitations. The rainfall 0f.1856 was
21.9 inches, slightly below the average of eight
years ; in the year 1852 it was 344. The winter
of 1856 was very mild, and the temperature of the
spring quarter was above the average ; 78,047 per-
sons, or 20.0 per cent., died of zymotic- diseases ;
the :decrease, as before hinted, is striking (from
6.180 to 4.567 and 4.148 in 1,000 of the population),
and is mainly due to the comparative cessation of
cholera and its attendant diarrhoea. Croup and
rheumatic fever were unusually fatal, as also metria,
or puerperal fever; 82,856 died of constitutional
(cachectic) diseases, (21.0 per cent). The mortality
by consumption was at the rate of 2.6 in 1,000 of
the population ; 12.7 per cent. of the deaths were
caused by that insidious disease against 11.9 in
1854. The deaths by consumption to 1,000 living
were in an inverse ratio, or 2.601 in 1856 to 2.791
in 1864. This is in accordance with the principle
that when the deaths by consumption include a
large proportion of the total deaths, the mortality
from all causes, and often from consumption itself,
is low—and conversely. Through ignorance of
this principle it has been erroneously and
illogically assumed that phthisis is more
fatal in England than in the other coun-
tries of Europe. .Constitutional diseases are
very constant and regular in their influ-
ence on the mortality. 149,911 persons died of
local or " monorg.anic" diseases, including 50,535 of
diseases of the brain and nervous system, 3,414 from
cephalitis, 8,278 from apoplexy, 8,497 from paresis,
2,096 from epilepsy, and 23,946 from convulsions ;
59 died of the rare and remarkable disease called
" chorea," and 120 from tetanus ; 13,672 deaths
were referred to diseases of the organs of circula-
tion, 52,908 to diseases of the respiratory organs.
Diseases of the digestive organs killed 22,620 per-
sons; and 6,498 cases of hepatitis, jaundice, and
general " liver diseases" are recorded. Diseases of
the urinary organs, so distressing and debilitating,
killed many, including 269 by nephritis, 954 by
nephria (Bright's disease), 433 by diabetes, 233 by
stone, and 270 by cystitis, or inflammation of the
bladder. It is significantly stated that there were
177 deaths from stricture of the urethra. Diabetes
kills 422, on the average, every year ; it is a well-
defined disease and fluctuates but little. 2,917
deaths resulted from diseases of the generative
organs ; 2,263 persons died of diseases of the loco-
motive organs (exclusive of scrofula, which often
affects the bones) ; 672 from diseases of the integu-
mentary system ; 1,000 children from diseases of
growth, &c., and 14,912 persons from violent
deaths. The mortality under intemperance &c.,
has declined during the last three years. Cold
killed 86 persons in 1856, and 432 were poisoned.
Dr. Farr shows that zymotic diseases more gene-
rally prove fatal to males than females, and the
same holds good with regard to local diseases,
cerebral diseases, diseases of the respiratory
organs, diseases of the liver, and violent deaths.
Heart disease, as may be supposed, kills more
women than men, but angina pectoris and aneurism
are most fatal to men. Diseases of the urinary
organs killed 3,161 males, and only 1,166 females
Dropsy, influenza, and phthsis are more fatal to
women than to men.