The Sun.
London, England, 1857-05-14 00:00:00

BEALTEL OF THE METROPOLIS.

(Compiled from, the district returns, with, remarks, by
Conway Evans, M. 8., London.)
The present sheet takes account of 5,616 new
cases of disease which came under treatment in the
pauper practice and the charitable institutions of
the metropolis during the week ending, Saturday,
May 2. It comprises returns for 25 workhouses,
for the out-door poor of 32 districts and sub-dis-
tricts, for 8 general hospitals, 2 special hospitals
and asylums, 26 dispensaries, 5 lunatic asylums, 2
schools, 1 military asylum, and 1 prison.
The state of the weather has been most unusual
for the season of the year. Cold north-easterly
winds prevailed throughout the whole week, and
on Tuesday night the thermometer sunk to
" freezing." The wean temperature was below the
average every day in the week, and on some days
by as much as ten degrees. The ranges or varia-
tions of temperature were considerable. Rain fell
on several days, but in very swell quantity ; and
:n the early part of the week there was a little snow
and sleet.
It is worthy of note that notwithstanding this
unfavourable condition of the weather—the re-
markably low and much varying temperature—the
public health appears to have suffered very little,
if at all ; for although returns were received from a
greater number of institutions for the week under
consideration than the previous one, yet the num-
ber of new cases of bronchitis and catarrh—diseases
which are so frequently associated with an unusual
degree of cold and rapid variations of temperature
—was only 522 for the week ending May 2, against
515 fur the week ending April 25. The deaths also
from these diseases were, as the weekly return of
the Registrar-General shows, considerably less nu-
merous than those of the pi evious week ;" while the
mortality from all causes was more than a hundred
below the average.
Of the 5,616 new cases of disease recorded in the
following pages, only 409 occurred in the twenty-
five workhouses for which returns were received;
2,103 occurred amongst the out-door poor ; 1,866
in the eight general hospitals, and 1,182 in the
twenty-six dispensaries.
Any comparison between these numbers which
may at present be instituted must, in consequence
of the new cases of disease admitted into all the
metropolitan institutions not being included, be
necessarily incomplete. At the same time the re-
turn contains several points worthy of comment.
Seven eases of small-pox are returned this week,
4 of which occurred in the north division of Lon-
don. In at least one of these cases the subject of
the disease was unvaccinated, the patient being, as
the officer of health for St. George's, Hanover-
square, remarks, "an unvaccinated child, 7 years
of age." Of chicken-pox 20 cases are returned,
more than half (11) of which occurred in the north
divisioa.
Measles at the present moment prevails to a con-
siderable extent in the districts of London north
of the river, paaticularly in the eastern and central
divisions. In the former of these 79 new cases of
this disease are returned ; in the latter 23. The
officer of health for the Limehouse district states,
" that the establishment for pauper children in
that district is at present inundated with this
malady, above a hundred cases having occurred
within the last three weeks, 13 or 14 of which have
terminated fatally." The disease appears to be
almost limited to the north side of the Thames ;
as, though returns have been received from 12 out
of the 22, districts and sub-districts south of the
river, they record only one case of this affection.
In the column for continued fever 151 cases are
returned. This number is probably greater than
that of the cases of this disease which actually came
under treatment in the institutions specified, in
consequence of entries of " febricula" being occa-
sionally included under this head.
Of croup 3 cases are returned. Of these 1 oc-
curred in Bethnal-green, 1 in Whitechapel, and 1
in Woolwich. This disease is probably more inti-
mately associated with local, and possibly prevent-
able, conditions than is generally supposed ; and
it is hoped that contributors will, so far as possible,
investigate and note down the circumstances under
which the cases of this malady which they record
have originated.