The Sun.
London, England, 1861-01-09 00:00:00

HEALTH- OF LONDON _DURING THE WEEK.

(From the Registrar-General's Weekly Return.)
The weekly return of births and deaths in Lon-
don, issued by authority of the Registrar-General,
states that the cold which has been experienced in.
the last three weeks, however seasonable it maybe
to the young and robust, the well-fed and well-
clothed, is destructive to the health and life of others
who are less able to resist it. in the last two weeks

of 1860 the deaths in London were 1,269 and 1,407;

n the first week of the new year they rose to 1,707.
[n the early part of December the mean tempera-
ture of the air was 43 deg. ; in the tbree weeks that

followed, and that ended last Saturday, it was
successively 32.1 degs., 25.9 degs., and 32.4 degs.
On Friday, the 4th inst., the lowest temperature
was 20.5 degs., and the mean 28 degs.
The average number of deaths as derived from
the first week in each of the 10 years 185160, and
corrected for increase of population, is 1,388. The
effect of the cold weather as yet developed in the
returns is therefore measured by an excess of 319
deaths in one week above the estimated number.
In the deaths caused by zymotic diseases the chief
facts to be remarked are an increase in scarlatina
from 45 in the previous week to 63 last week, and an
increase in whooping-cough from 59 to 90. No less
than 8 children died from measles in the sub-district
of Kensington-town. Scarlatina was fatal in four
cases in the Belgre.ve sub-district, in three in Plum-
stead. In the last two weeks the deaths by pul-
monary diseases, exclusive of phthisis, rose front
348 to 485. Those by bronchitis increased from
217 to 273 ; those by pneumonia from 95 to 143.
Phthisis inoreased from 171 to 188. Pulmonary
diseases, which, as stated above, include 485 deaths,
exhibit a considerable excess on the corrected aver-
age, which is 318. The deaths of 1 Ipersons
One
recorded at the age of 90 years and upwards.
of these occureed at the age of 98
years ; another
at 100 years in Claptou. Of the 11 aged persons

only 3 were men.
cra filly children, died by burns,
ve are stated to have been
anNd
one etebeny,
epe heir aidei
burnt by the clothes taking fire. Of 15 deaths
inrin
by suffocation, 12 occurred to children in bed. A
Dutch pilot was choked by a piece of beef, which
was afterwards found to weigh one ounce. A man
and a woman were returned as having perished
from cold and want ; the former, a painter, aged.
80 years, on 27th December, at 4, Terrace-place,
Stepney-green, and the latter, aged 70 years,
found dead on Christmas-day at the dcor of the
Nlarylebone Workhouse.
Last week the births of 1,003 boys and 889 girls,
in all 1,892 children, were registered in London.
In the ten corresponding weeks of the years
1851-60 the average number was 1,653.
At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the
mean hight of the barometer in the week was
29.714 in. The readings fell to 29 in. on Tuesday,
January Ist, and rose to 30.17 in. on Thursday the
3d. The mean temperature of the air in the week
was 32.4 deg., which is 4.3 deg. below the average
of the same week in 43 years (as determined by
Mr. Glaisher). The mean daily temperature
was about 8 deg. below the average on the
last four days. The thermometer in the shade
rose to 47.3 deg. on Tuesday, and fell to 20.2
deg. on Friday, being the highest and lowest point
respectively in the week. The range in the week
was therefore 26 8 deg. The mean daily range was
10.8 deg. The difference between the mean dew-
point temperature and air temperature was 3.2 deg.
The mean degree of humidity of the air was 88,
complete saturation being represented by 100, which
point was attained on Sunday and Tuesday. The'
wind blew generally from the north-east. Rain fell.
to the amount of 1.07 inches, most of it on Sands.ey
and Tuesday. The mean temperature of the vfv.t r
, , of the Thames was 33.4 deg.