The Sun.
London, England, 1857-07-15 00:00:00

BEALTH OF LONDON DURING THE

WEEK.

(Froth, the Report of the Registrar-General. )
In the week that ended on Satarday (July 11th)
the number of deaths registered in London was
988, of which 508 were deaths of males, 480 those
of females. In the ten years 1847-56 the average
number of deaths in the weeks corresponding with
last week was 976 ; but as the deaths of last week
occurred in an increased population, it is necessary
for the purpose of comparison to raise the average
proportionally to the increase, in which case it will
become 1074. The public health is therefore so far
satisfactory at present, that the deaths now returned
were less by 86 than the number which would have
occurred under the average rate of mortality.
The births registered last week were in excess of
the deaths in the same period by 678.
The principal feature in the present return, as
comp gyred with those immediately preceding, is the
rapid increase of diarrhoea, which has begun to
prevail with more force than has been hitherto ob-
served bfore the middle of July. Last week the
deaths from this complaint were more numerous
by 100 than those which occurred in the week that
ended July 27 11. They were then 33, in the fol-
lowing week 65, and last week they rose to 133 ;
the corrected average for ten weeks (of 1847-56)
corresponding with last week is 53. Of these 133
deaths so large a proportion as 124 occurred to in-
fants who had not completed their second year.
Nine deaths also are returned as caused by " cho-

'era iufantum, English cholera," and (in °vile case)
" cho'er maligna," all of which, with the excep
t'on of two, occurred to infants ; these are indis-
criminately referred to cholera in the table;. It is
not out of place to repeat here the observation of
medical officers of the Dreadnought, that " during
the week the Thames water smelt most abomi-
nably."
There were seven deaths from small-pox last
week, which is more than this disease has caused
in any week since January. It has been fatal in
two cases recently in a house in Little Clarendon-
street, Somers-town ; and the registrar of St.
Botolph's, in recording a death from small-pox in
his district, states that it is believed the infection
in this case was received through indirect commu-
nication with a family in Middlesex-street, St.
Pancras, in which seven persons were suffering from
the complaint. The deaths from typhus increased
in the last two weeks from 34 to 41, while, on the
other hand, pooping-cough declined from 48 to 40,
and measles from 25 to 15. A child died from suck-

ing Lucifer matches, and the death of a woman,
aged 63 yeari-', was caused by fright from thuudet,
followed apparently by paralysis.
Last week the births of 855 boys and 811 girls,
in all 1,666 children, were registered in London.
In the ten corresponding weeks of the years
1847-56 the average number was 1,351.
At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the mean
height of the barometer in the week was 29/45 in.
The highest reading was 30.01 in. at the end of the
week. The mea❑ temperature of the air in the week
was 59.6 deg., which is 2 deg. below the average
of the same week in 43 years. The mean tempera-
ture was the same as the average on Sunday ; it
was below the average on the following day, 7 deg.
below it on Tuesday and Wednesday, and it con-
tinued below it, though in a less degree, till Fri-
day. The lowezt temperature was 45/ deg. on
Wednesday ; the highest was 79.4 on Saturday ;
the range of the week was therefore 33.7 deg. The
mean dew-point temperature was 51.5 deg., and
the difference between this and the mean tempera-

ture of the air was 1.1 deg. The mean temperature
of the water of the Thames was 64.7 deg. After

Monday at noon the wind was generally in the
north-west till Friday ; at other times it blew from
the south-west. There was rain to the amount of
0.30 in., most of which fell early in the week.

MORTALITY IN THE METROPOLIS
NUMBER OF DEATHS FROM ALL CAUSES REGISTERED
IN THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, JULY 11
Zymotic Diseases