The Sun.
London, England, 1857-12-25 00:00:00

A POPULAR ERROR.

A comparison of the mortality of London with that of
continental cities, has led to a general opinion, some-
what abruptly formed, that London is the healthiest city
in the world ; the recorded annual mortality being about
25 per 1,000, whereas in continental cities the ratio varies
frotu 30 to 40. Therefore, runs the popular belief,
London is the healthiest city in the world. And the
same philosophy carried a little farther, tends to rouse
suspicions as to the necessity for such an amount of.
drainage, vontil'tion, and other sanatory improvements
as are now contemplated. The healthiest city in the
world, it is argued, least needs all this additional labour
and expenditure, since Utopia was not described .o be
anywhere in these latitudes. Amidst all this jumping
from conclusion to conclusion, a rather important cir-
cumstance seems to have been hitherto overlooked.
However careful and reliable are the returns of the Re-
gistrar-General, they are by no means accurate guides
of health ; by which is implied the sanatory con ition of
the living. And it may be seriously doubted whether
the pleasant fiction about the general healthiness of the
inhabitants of London is even founded upon Met. The
statistics recently published afford some significant evi-
dence on the subject. They show that if only 2} per
cent. die in each year, 25 in every hundred, amongst one
class alone, are yearly so ill as to require gratuitous
medical treatment at hospitals and dispensaries. When
we remember that this number is exclusive of all those
treated as paupers, and of the whole of the middle and
upper classes of society who can afford to pay for medical
attendance, it seems somewhat premature to boast of
our healtLiness.

And here exists a olue whereby we may readily ex•
plain what appears at first irreconcileable--that the
extent of sickness is not necessarily in exact relation to
the amount of mortality. The medical attendance gra-
tuitously bestowed on the sick poor of London far
exceeds that provided in any other city in the world.
There are 600 medical men constantly and officially
employed, without fee or reward, in staving oft death
from the poor. Not one of these but can lay his hand
on many patients whose lives he bas prolonged, and
others who only creep towards threescore years and ten
by the aid of constant patching up ;
but at last die at a
good old age—illustrations of the creeking doors that
proverbially hang_ so long on their ping'', and the
cracked panes and chipped teacups, the secret of whose
escape from further harm consists in the greater care
bestowed on them.—Lancet.

LOLA MONTES AGAIN.—This11-known person, who
arriv( d by the Felton from America, on her way to Paris,
is stated by the New York Times to be lciout to marry
i
once more. "The bridegroom sthe Prince Solkoweki,
who is blessed with the following array of titles :
Prince of Bielitz, Count of Reissen, Count of Schonmi,
Count of Kobel's), and Count of Lessa. His estates,
which are very large, are situated in Upper Silesia. He
has been residing, however, for several years in the
northern part of this state on a farm which he purchased
and still owns. He is about forty years of age. There
have been no reasons assigned for his erratic course in
becoming a New York farmer. It is stated that when
married he will return at once to Austria."