The Sun.
London, England, 1868-07-24 00:00:00

THE HEALTH OF THE NAVY.

The annual report of the sanitary condition of
the navy during the year 1665 is interesting in two
main particulars—the one in that it shows an im-
provement in regard to the amount of mortality
and invaliding amongst the crews of various snips in
commission during the year ; the other, that for
the first time a section is set apart for scientific
communications on naval medicine contributed by
medical officers stationed in different parts of the
world. For instance, in the appendix we have an
interesting account of the "physical geography,
meteorology, and medical topography of Somerset,
Cape York, North Australia," by Surgeon Haran,
who approves of the locality as a suitable harbour of
refuge. It is, says this gentleman, " within a short
distance of dangerous channels amongst reefs along
the north-east coast and in Torres Straits, which have
wrecked so many ships, and is on that account free
from the most serious evils, connected with the
other settlements at Melville Islands, Raffles Bay,
and Port Essington, founded along the north-west
coast at various pariods since 1823, which were
situated some hundreds of miles from the scene of
three disasters, while its undoubted salubrity further
enhances its value, and its commanding position in
Torres Straits must, in the event of a general Euro-
pean war, lead to its unhesitating occupation as a
most important military post and naval station."
Assistant Surgeon Sutherland discusses in another
paper the peculiarities of Shanghae, and Dr. Mac-
donald and Dr. Salmon relate certain experiences of
cases treated in the Haslar Hospital and the Marine
Infirmary at Woolwich. There is little doubt that
the medical officers throughout the service will be
encouraged by the chance of their observations ap-
pearing in print to work out various problems of
practical importance bearing upon the health of our
sailors.

But turning to the statistical matter in the re-
port, we find that compared with the preceding
year, in 1865 there was a reduction i❑ the rates of
morality to the extent of 2.7 per 1,000, and of in-
validing 2.5 per 1,000. The total forts was 51,210 ;
the total sick cases, 69,315 ; or 1,363.1 per 1,000.
Inc number invalide.d was 1687, or 32.9 per 1,000.
The deaths numb2red 530 ; of these 416 were from
d'sease, 161 wounds and injuries and drowning.
I total death-rate was 11.3 per 1,000 ; that from
disease alone 8.1 per 1,000. The relative amount
of sickness and injury on the different stations may
be represented as follows :—Home, per man, 1 ;
Mediterranean, 1.3 ; North America and West
Indies, 1.6 ; South-East Coast of America, 1.6 ;
Pacific, 1.5 ; West Coast of Africa, 2.1 ; Cape,
1.6 ; China, 1.6 ; Australia, 1.4 ; Irregular force,
1.6 ; or on an average, 1.3 per man of the total
force ; which is an exactly similar proportion
to that of the preceding year. The ratio
per 1,000 of men sick daily was : —On the
Home station, 45.4 ; Mediterranean, 33.4 ; West
Coast of Africa, 73 2 ; China, 80.0 ; the average, •

53.2 per 1,000 as against 51.0 in 18G1. The sick--
rate was excessive, especially in China and the West
Coast of Africa, caused by small-pox in the former
and yellow fever in the latter case. The rate of
invaliding reduced itself on the Home, Mediter-
ranean, Cape, Pacific, and China stations. The
average was 32.9 per 1,000. That on the West
Coast of Africa was 82.9—an increase of 29.5 per
1,000 on the previous year. So, in regard to the
mortality the rate was 28.4 per 1,000 greater in
the West Coast of Africa in 1865 than the pre-
ceding year. In regard to prevalent diseases, it
may be stated that in the twelvemonth the cases of
fever numbered 3,978, and of yellow fever 76. Of
" contagious diseases" (enthetic), 4,313 ; and of
these 130 wee invalided. The daily loss to the ser-
vice by this cause of illness is equal to 468 men. In
the section of the report which specially refers to the
Mediterranean station a full account is given of the
origin of the cholera epidemic at Malta in 1865.
The surgeons all agree as to its importation from
Alexandria, and two or more of them refer to the
peculiar situation of the quarantine est Lblishment
at Malta, which is so placed that the spread of
cholera is almost a matter of certainty. Dr. Butler,
of the Hibernia, writes as follows :—" The latter
(the lazaretto) is situated almost in a central place,
having the populous towns of Valetta, Floriana, and
Pieta on one side, and Sliema on the other, with a
large barrack close by ; the distance between the
lazaretto and these places varying from a quarter
of a mile to a mile. In this place were crowded
all the people who came from Alexandria, until
the middle of June ; and it weul I be strange,
indeed, if the disease, with its well-known infec-
tious properties, thus introduced into the midst of
a thickly-populated district, should not spread all
over the island. As a matter of course it did so,
and under the circumstances the details subse-
quently observed by the authorities in enforcing a
strict quarantine were ridiculous in the extreme, and
aided to the absurdity of the whole system as re-
gards the Maltese lazaretto." The surgeon of the
Hibernia, Dr. Rickthorne, in his account of the epi-
demic, rein irks, that supposing the existence of an
infected atmosphere in and about the lazaretto, the
light sea breeze would set it in motion, and carry it
to Valetta, Floriana, Pieta, and Misida. The posi-
tion of the lazaretto isthus emphatically condemned,
and Mr. Butler affirms that " it can hardly be looked
upon as a quarantine station at all, but rather as a
favourable place to collect persons from infected
quarters, for the purpose of spreading disease to the
rest of the community. It should be placed at some
of the distant parts of the island, where there is good
anchorage, w here a rigid system of quarantne might be
effectual, and where, at all events, the inhabitants
of the large towns would have the advantage of dis-
tance in resisting the invasion of a pestilence."
These facts commend themselves.

We have again to notice that there is a deficiency
of medical officers in the service, and one of the re-
gretable consequences of this is shown in the his-
tory of yellow fever on bo ird the Archer on the
West Coast of Africa. The surgeon falling ill of
fever, and there being no assistant surgeon on board
at the time, it was necessary to throw the work to
be done upon the shoulders of the medical officer of
another vessel, who indeed could ill be spared.
Surgeons are doing assistant-surgeons' duty, and
vice versa. Why is the service so unpopuhr ? At
all events, such an unhealthy station as the West
Coast of Africa should have its full complement of
medical officers.

MURDER AND SUICIDE.

-o--

About seven o'clock on Wednesday evening a
murder was committed in a field near Shuttling-
fields Farm, Walton-le-Dale, about four miles from
Preston, and the murderer subsequently succeeded
in destroying his own life by hanging. The mur-
derer and his victim were sweethearts, and a refusal
on the part of the girl to longer keep company with

her suitor prompted the latter to take her life by
cutting her throat with a pocket-knife. The victim
of the outrage, Elizabeth Brindle, aged 18, was the
daughter of Mr. Brindle, of the Higher Shuttling-
fields Farm. The murderer, Charles Hamer, was
about 20 years old. Both were employed at the
will of Mr. Bowne, Brindle. The girl was a
weaver, and Hamer was a cloth looker, the father
of the latter being manager over the weaving de-
partment. For about three years Hamer and the
girl ha I been on intimate terms. Although she
does not seem to have had very much regard for her
admirer, yet she permitted him to pay his addresses
to her, and all appears to have gone on smoothly
until a week ago, when she scolded him for smok-
ing and chewing tobacco to excess, by which she
alleged he was impairing his health. She al.:o
told him that if he continued the practice she
would cease to receive his attentions altogether.
From that time up to Wednesday the two ap-
pear not to have been on speaking terms.
Oa Wednesday, when at the mill, she received
a letter from Hamer, asking her to meet him,
after leaving work, in Martin's-field, through
which she would have to pass on her way home.
On leaving the mill she was accompanied by her
sister, to whom she mentioned the letter, and
stated that if Hamer met her she would tell him she
would have nothing more to do with him. When-
the sisters reached Martin's-field, about 200 or 300
yards from the shutling-fields, they found Hamer
waiting. They parted, Elizabeth remaining with
Hamer, and the other continuing her homeward
journey. A few minutes afterwards a man named
James Yates was passing through the field leading
to the shutting-fields, when he met Hamer, who
was running and had his hands cavered with blood,
and carrying a piece of rope, which he had ob-
tained by cutting a clothes' line belonging to a neigh-
bouring farmer. Subsequently he found on enter-
ing Martin's•field the deceased on the ground
fearfully wounded. In answer to bis inquiries she
said, " Oh, Jim, Charles Hamer has done this, be-
cause I told him I would not go with him. He said
he would go and kill himself. Ido wish I was out
of my punishment." Yates at once tried to stop
the flow of blood, and then raised an alarm and
sent to Preston a messenger for Dr. Spencer. The
girl was conveyed to her home, and everything was
done to preserve her life, but fruitless, as she ex-
pired in about three-quarters of an hour after she

was discovered. She never spoke subsequent to mak-
ing the statement given above to Yates. After pass-
ing Yates Hamer ran into Gregson-lane, where he
met his brother, who, perceiving that he was be-
smeared with blood, asked him the cause, to which
he replied that a man at "Moon's Mill had punched
him." He handed a letter to his brother and ran
off in the direction of Brindle, where is resided.
The letter intimated Hamer's intention of taking
some person's life and destroy his own, and ordered
that his watch, books, and other articles belonging
to him should be given to the different members of
his family. The report of the murder spread with

great rapidity, a❑d soon crowd 3 of paople flicked
to the scene of the tragedy, and the utmost con-
sternation prevailed. The policeman went in
search of the wretched fugitive. Their efforts were

seconded by a number of the villagers. A man
named James Ashton, in searching the wood at-
tached to Milutholme College, about two miles from
the place of the murder, found the body of Hamer
suspended from a tree by the rope previously spoken
of. Ile was immediately cut down, but life was
extinct.