The Sun.
London, England, 1859-10-07 00:00:00

SANITARY STATE OF THE CITY.

Dr. Letheby has presented his quarterly report
to the Commissioners of Sewers, which states that
in the 13 weeks of the summer quarter just expired
there were 688 deaths in the three districts of the
City. They were distributed as follows :-278 in
the eastern division, 210 in the western, and 200
in the central, the death-rate in the whole City
having been about 21.1 per 1,000. Compared with
the mortality in the summer quarters of the last 10
years the total death-rate is a little below the ave-
rage, in the proportion of 686 to 759; but in the
western division of the City it has risen from an
average of 198 to 210, the excess having been among
children and old pt rsons. The mortality, there-
lore, in this division of the City has not only been
above the average of other seasons, but it has also
been more than double that of the central division.
The immediate locality of the excess is the low
lying district on the north of the Thames and along
the valley of the Fleet, where poverty, filth, and
over-crowding, as well as the natural insalubrity of
the site, have exerted their unwholesome influence.
Among the principal causes of death were the fol-
lowing :—Phthisis, 81; tabes and scrofula, 50 ;
hydroceph tins, 29; making together 160 deaths
from tubercular and cachectic diseases. There were
also 37 deaths from teething and the convulsions of
infancy, 45 from pneumonia and bronchitis, and 33
from violence, privation, and poison. Of the zymotie
class there were 29 deaths from fever, 30 from scar-
latina, 26 from small-pox, 7 from measles, 10 from
croup and diphtheria, 16 from hooping-cough, and
187 from diarrhoea and dysentery—in all 205 deaths
from zymotic affections. Three of these maladies
have been unusually prevalent, viz., small-pox, in-
fantile diarrhoea, which has been fatal in 74 in-
stances, and scarlet fever. The sickness returns for
the quarter were larger than usual, for there were
3,169 cases of illness attended by the medical offi-
cers of the City unions. Of these 155 were fever,
and 759 were diarrhoea and dysentery. All these
have been especially inquired into and reported on
by the sanitary inspectors. The number of births
registered during the quarter is 764, of which 386
were boys and 375 were girls. The births, there-
fore, have exceeded the deaths by 73.
In reference to the state of the Thames Dr. Le-
theby says :—" I have already alluded to the influ-
ence of the temperature and want of rain on the
condition of the river; and 1 now submit the results
of my analysis of the water at London-bridge during
the summer. As the summer advanced the quantity
of sea-water that reached London-bridge became
greater and greater. In the month of May the
proportion of sea-salt in the water at high tide was
but 65 grains to the gallon, and so it continued
until the end of June, when it gradually rose to 175
grains per gallon in July ; to 225 in August ; and
to 329 in September. In fact, during the last
month the saline constituents of the water at Lon-
don-bridge have been as abundant as they generally
are at Greenwich. This shows that the tidal, or
oceanic wave has advanced to a considerable ex-
tent beyond its usual limits ; and it is open to
doubt whether any of the downward current of the
river has reached the sea. The quantity of soluble
sulphates thus brought up by the tide is enormous ;
it has averaged during the last month as much as
46 grains per gallon, and then the proportion of
organic matter discharged into the river by the
sewers has been gradually accumulating, until it
has reached to 23 grains per gallon. As far as my
observations have gone, it does not appear that
any great benefit has been derived from the dis-
infectants which have been cast into the sewers ;
for not only has the river continued to be black and
offensive throughout the summer, but no appreci-
able difference in the composition of the water has
been recognised by chemical analysis. Compared
with last year, the water has been considerably
worse than it was, and all along tho putrefactive
changes in the river have remained the same, and
from 1.24 to 1.26 grains of ammonia per gallon
have always been found in it. The main facts which
have been observed are these—that whenever the
temperature of the water has risen above 55
deg., the river has stunk, and looked black ;
and that after a continuance of dry weather,
the oceanic tide has advanced to supply the loss
from evaporation, &c. ; and then, after a heavy fall
of rain, the stagnant sewers have been washed out,
and have completed the mischief. Day by day,
however, the contents of the sewers have kept up
the putrefaction, and the foul matters have oscil-
lated between the ranges of the tide, that which
has floated near to the shore having been always
richer in suspended organic matter than that which
has flowed in the centre of the river. If there be
any chemical remedy for this condition of things, it
must certainly be applied much earlier in the sea-
son than it was this year ; for when once the putre-
factive change has been fully established, it is diffi-
cult to keep it, in check."
The report was ordered to be printed, and a copy
sent to every member of the corporation, as well as
to the members of the Metropolitan Board of
Works.