The Sun.
London, England, 1858-11-24 00:00:00

HEALTH'OF LONDON DuRLYG THE

WEEK.

/From the ItVistege-General'.. Report.)

The mortality lof London continues to increase
rapidly with increasing cold. In the third week
of October the deaths were 1,113; in the third
week of November, enclitic,-t' last Saturday, they
were 1,487. In the first of the fivs •weeks com-
prised within these limits the mean temperature
of the air was 51.1 deg.; in the last, 35.5 deg. A
reduction in the temperature, graduallff effected,
to the extent of 10 deg., has been attended by an
increase 'of nearly 400 in the deaths of a week.

In the 10 years 1848-37 thenverar number of
deaths in the weeks corresponding with lust week
was 1,054; but as tne 1,497 deaths of last week oc-
curred in a population which has increased they
should be compared with the average after it is
raised in proportion to the increase, a correction
by which it becomes 1,192. An excess of deaths,
rcY,1.1.177 e' ^l. to ;..90, attests the unnsultl severity of

I ~i; "~_l

relaycd to pulmonal.y
eluding bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma, and. others
less extensively fatal, but excluding phthisis and
whooping-cough, were in the last four weeks 'sue-.
cessively 181, 250, 312, and 413 ; those referred
especially to bronchitis, 83, 128, 171, and 211; to
pneumonia, 77, 99, 112, and 166 ; to asthma, 2,9,
13, and 20. The mortality from phthisis is more
slowly affected by cold, for it did not increas till last
week, when the deaths rose from 131 to 166. Five
nouagenaris died last week, of whom the oldest was
94 years of age.
From scarlatina 133 persons died last week, of
whom all except 5, where children under 15 years of
age. Six deaths from it occurred in the sub-dis-
trictof Poplar. ThiS disease shows a very slight
decrease ; small-pox on thn other hand; which was
fatal in ten cases, shows an increase.

Last week the biaths of 865 boys and 768 girls, in
1 1,633 children, were registered in London. In

the ten corresponding weeks of the years 1848-57
the average number was 1,491.
At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the mean
height of the barometer in the week was 29.535 in.
The barometrical readings varied from 29.27 in. to
29.96 in. The mean temperature of the week was
35.5 deg., which is 7 deg. below the average of the
same week in 43 years (as determined by Mr.
Giaisner). The mean atily temperature wai be-
low the avergage throughout the week, and on
the last two days, which were tho coldest, the
extent of depression was respectively 13.1 deg.
and 10.5 deg. The highest reading of the
thermometer in the shade obtained on Sunday
the 14th, and was 45.8 deg. Its lowest point was
24.6 deg. on Saturday. The entire range was there-
fore 21.2 deg. ; the mean daily range was 9.3 deg.
The difference between the mean dew-point tempe-
rature and air temperature was 5 deg. The mean
degree of humidity of the air was 83. The mean
temperature of the water of the Thames was 41.9
dcg., or 6.4 deg. higher than that of the air. The
wind blew from the north-east till Friday, when it
changed to south-west. Strong gales blew on se-
veral days at the beginning of the week, the pres-
sure having increased on Sunday to 131 b. on the
square foot. There was no rain.