The Sun.
London, England, 1859-12-21 00:00:00

HEALTH OF LONDON .DURING THE

WEEK.

(E•om the Report of the Registrar-General.)
The total number of deaths registered in London
in the week that ended last Saturday was 1,289,
being the same as that of the preceding week. In
the ten years 1849-58 the average number of deaths
in the weeks corresponding with last week was
1,218 ; but as the deaths returned for last week
occurred in a population that has increased, they
should be compared with the average raised in pro-
portion to the increase, namely, with 1,339. It
appears from this comparison that the deaths that
occurred last week were less by 50 than the num-
ber that would have been shown if the average
rate of mortality for the second week of December
had prevailed.
The births in last week exceeded the deaths in
the same time by 542.
Small-pox, from which there were 45 deaths,
shows a small increase on the previous week, when
there were 40. Eight occurred in the Smallpox
Hospital. There were 83 deaths from scarlatina;
this complaint seems to be very prevalent in the
sub-district of St. John, Westminster, where it was
fatal in seven cases. There were 8 in Islington
and 4in Rotherhithe. Diphtheria carried off 6
persons. The most fatal disease in the list now is
bronchitis, from which 164 persons died, while 184
died from phthisis. In the corresponding weeks of
ten previous years the average number from bron-
chitis (corrected for increase of population) was
153. The deaths from pneumonia, or inflammation
of the lungs, were 76, the corrected average being
113. Eleven infants died by suffocation, 1 by
murder. The following are the ages of 5 nona-
genarians, whose deaths are recorded, viz., 92, 93,
95, 97, and 99 years.
Of bricklayers 1 died in the week, of bricklayers'
children 12; of carpenters 3 died, of carpenters'
wives 1, of carpenters' children 19 ; of masons 2
died, of masons' children 2 ; of painters 5 died, of
painters' children 2 ; of plasterers 3 died, of plas-
terers' wives 1, of plasterers' children 4.

Last week the births of 952 boys and 879 girls,
in all, 1,831 children, were registered in London.
In the ten corresponding weeks of the years 1849-
58 the average number was 1,598.
At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the mean
height of the barometer in the week was 29.940 in.
On the first three days the mean daily barometrical
reading was above 30 in. The barometer fell from
30.57 on Sunday, the highest point in the week, to
29.54 in. on Friday, the lowest point. The mean
temperature of the air in the week was only 24.6
deg., which is 11.3 deg. below the average of the
same week in 43 years (as determined by Mr.
Glaisher). The mean daily temperature was below
the average throughout the week, and on the last
four days the extent of this depression was remark-
able ' • on Saturday the mean temperature was 17.3
deg. below the average. The highest point attained
in the week by the thermometer in the shade was
40.4 deg. on Monday; the lowest point was 15.5
deg. on Saturday, or 16.5 deg. below the freezing
point of water. On the latter day the mercury
never stood higher than 28 deg. The range of tem-
perature in the week was 29.9 deg. The mean
daily range was 8.7 deg. Saturday was colder than
any day since December 22d, 1855, the mean tem-
perature of which day was 21.5 deg., whilst that of
last Saturday was 22.8 deg. Snow fell on Wednes-
day and Friday. A dense fog prevailed on Sunday
(the 11th), and great darkness in the afternoon. On
that day the air was calm, and while the tempera-
ture of the Thames was 41.2 deg. the thermometer
in the air never exceeded 32.5 deg. The difference
between the mean dew-point temperature and air
temperature was 4.9 deg. The mean degree of hu-
midity of the air was 82. The wind blew generally
from the north. Rain was measured in the week
to only the hundredth part of an inch.