The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-12-15 00:00:00

SATURDAY,

The Duchess of Kent visited her Majesty and Prince
Albert on Thursday evening at Buckingham Palace.
Viscount Melbourne had an audience of her Majesty yes-
terday.
His Lordship had also an audience of his Royal Highness
Prince Albert.

MONDAY

Their Royal Highnesses the Duchess of Kent, the Duchess
of Gloucester, and the Princess Sophia visited her Majesty,
on. Saturday. at Buckingham Palace.

His Royal Highness- Prince Albert, attended by Major-
General Sir Edward Bowater, equerry in waiting, and Cap-
tain SeymoUr, groom in waiting, attended Divine service,
yesterday morning, in the military chapel, near the Welling.
ton Barracks, in St. James's Park. His royal highness and
the gentlemen in waiting were in military uniform.

THE PUBLIC HEALTH

(From the Times.)

Medical statistics appear to have occupied much attention
of late years. Few will question the great importance of the
subject whether viewed in relation to politics, physiology, or
practical medicine. It contributes, as Dr. Hawkins justly
observes, the key of several sciences, showing in a convincing,
simple, and summary manner, their gradual progress, their
actual condition, their relations to each other, the success
which has resulted from their observation, or the deficiencies
that remain to be supplied.
Statistical data, illustrative of the state of health and dis-
ease in any particular county, district, or locality, is of essen-
tial value in the study of the philosophy of medicine. It
points out to the physician the comparative merits of various
modes of practice, the history of disease in different ages and
latitudes, the increase and decrease in different maladies, and
the tendency of certain situations in life, temperament, at-
mospherical vicissitudes, &c., in multiplying the character of
those multifarious diseases to which flesh is heir.
Medical statistics is, comparatively speaking, a science of
modern date. It is a singular fact that the first writer on this
subject should have been unconnected with the medical pro-
fession. As far back as 1662, Captain John Gaunt, " citizen
of London," published a work on the comparative births and
deaths of different cities, years, seasons, and sexes, and com-
parative mortality of disease. Dr. Hawkins observes that
this writer " displays a singular genius for observation, in a
field where no footsteps could be traced previous to his own."
Since that period Sus..milch, Odier, Heberden, Blane, Rich-
man, Finlayson, Villerme, Tutelet, Casper, Orsini, Gordini,
Balbi, Marsnall, Hawkins, Far, &e., have contributed most
largely to the advancement of this branch of knowledge. The
first weekly bills of mortality extant appear to have com-
menced on the 29th of December, 1603, in the first year of
the reign of King James. An account of the number of
burials was, it is true, published as far back as the year 1591,
but this was only in consequence of the plague that pre-
vailed the year previously. In 1597 the publication of the
bills was discontinued, the plague having ceased. The first
bills of mortality related only to the number of deaths with-
out specifying the particular diseases, excepting the pesti-
lence that then raged. In 1611 the worshipful Company of
Parish Clerks was incorporated. whose especial province it
was to prepare the bills of mortality. These clerks were also
empowered to appoint in each parish two searchers, all of
whom were old women. Their duties are thus pointed out
by Gaunt :—" When any one dies, then either by tolling or
ringing of a bell, or by bespeaking a grave of the sexton, the
same is known to the searchers corresponding to the same
sexton. The searchers hereupon repair to the place where
the dead corpse lies, and by view of the same, and by other
inquiries, examine by what disease or casualty the corpse
died. Hereupon they make their report to the parish-clerk.
It is not, however, until of late years that the bills of mor-
tality have assumed a scientific or useful character. The
valuable documents annually issued from Somerset-house,
and prepared under the eye of the registrar-general of births,
deaths, and marriages, have thrown much light on patholo-
gical medicine. It is to the second annual report relating to
the mortality in the metropolis and provinces during the year
1838 that we are desirous of directing public attention. To
this report the registrar-general has appended a valuable
letter from Mr. Far, embracing a comprehensive view of-the
tabular statement it contains. The author states, that during
1838, 312,529 deaths were registered, out of which 330,559
were traced to an assignable cause. The rate of mortality in
1838 was higher than in the latter half of the year preceding.
This circumstance Mr. Far attributes to the rigorous weather
which set early in January, which exercised a baneful influ-
ence over pulmonary affections and the diseases incident to
old age. It appears that in 1838 the number of deaths re-
corded was, males, 170,044 females, females, 167,4185. In
the middle of the year the population was, males 7,668,245,
females 7,885,615, total 15,533,860. The usual rate of mor-
tality was consequently, males, 2-28, or 1 in 44, females,
2-12, or lin47 ; mean of the two sexes 2-20 per cent-1 in
45.

In the cases of 6465 males, and 5505 females, the causes of
death were not specified. It is clearly established that the
duration of life in men is less than in women. In 1838 the
mortality of the former was 7 per cent. higher than the latter.
This discrepancy is attributed to difference of organization,
dissimilarity of habits, and occupations involving different
degrees of exposure to the accidents, hardships, and dangers
of life. During the year 1838, 2811 women died in child-
birth, while 8359 men and only 3368 women died violent
deaths.

Epidemic diseases appear to have proved very fatal. 34,321
males and 33,555 females died of small pox, measles, croup,
thrush, diarrhoea, dysentery, cholera, hooping-cough, and
influenza. Of diseases of the nervous system, 49,704 died;
26,047, of convulsions ; 7,672 of water in the head ; and
2,178 of inflammation of the brain—three common diseases
of children.

Convulsions and water in the head are exceedingly fatal
affections in ill-ventilated dirty neighbourhoods, where the
inhabitants are poor, and the mothers are illfed. Nervous
diseases are 23 per cent, more fatal to males than females.

Of diseases of the organs of respiration, 90,823 died;
11,690 males, find 9,488 females died f inflammatory affec-
tions of the throat, larynx, air• tubes, lungs, and pleura. Con-
sumption is 8 per cent. more fatal to women than men. The
higher mortality of English women by consumption is as-
cribed to the in-door life which they lead, and partly to their
tight-lacing and clothes compressing and preventing the
healthy expansion of the chest and exercise of the lungs.
In this way they are deprived of free draughts of vital air,
and the altered blood deposits tuberculous matter, with a
fatal and unnatural facility. It is computed that 31,000
English women died in one year of pulmonary consumption !
in alluding to the prevalence of this opprobrium medicorum,
Mr. Far justly observes, " Will not this impressive fact in-
duce persons of rank and influence to set their country-
women right in the article of dress, and lead them to aban-
don a practice which disfigures the body, strangles the chest,
produces nervous and other disorders, and has an unques-
tionable tendency to implant an incurable hectic malady in
the frame ? Girls have no more need of artificial bones and
bandages than boys."

Diseases of the heart and large blood-vessels appear to
have been *common cause of death. Men are more liable
to these fatal maladies than women : out of the cases re-
gistered, 2032 occurred among the former, and only 1530
among the latter.

Diseases of the digestive organs were less fatal than in
1837.

Diseases of uncertain seat, affections which implicate a
variety of organs in which the distinction of parts is quite
subordinate to the distinction in the essential nature of the
morbid products include dropsy, which is but a symptom of
a disease, inflammation, hemorrhage, mortification, &c.
All cases on which a coroner's inquest is held is classified
under the term sudden death. In 1838, 3012 cases of this
character were registered ; 1840 males, and 1172 females.
Internal hemorrage is the most common cause of this cala-
mity. Out of 10,000 males 6-5 die suddenly, and 5-1 out of
10,000 females. Women have less chance of dying suddenly
than men, in the proportion of 10 to 18.
Intemperance is proved to be a prolific cause of disease
and death. Intoxicating liquors can never be taken for any
length of time without deteriorating the health. The con-
stant stimulus produces chronic affections of the brain,
spinal cord, stomach, and intensities, and by unnaturally in-
creasing the action of the heart and circulation of the blood,
lays the foundation for incurable cardiac diseases. Indul-
gence in spirits takes away the appetite, wastes the limited
means of the artisan, deprives his family of food, firing,
clothing, and clean ventilated lodgings—leads to dissolute-
ness of every kind, and must therefore be considered one of
the indirect but certain causes of epidemics, fevers, and
other diseases. 63 cases were ascribed to starvation, 24
infants died for want of maternal nourishment, 12 of inani-
tion, 2 from exposure to cold, and 15 from want of the com-
mon necessaries of life.

Violent deaths ,are divided into voluntary and luyoluntary.
They were very numerous in 1838. In the agkregate 11,727
persons died violent deaths, of whom 8,359 were males, and
3,368 females. The number of suicides registered amounted
to 1,058 (males 751, females 307). It is found that the ten-
tency to suicide increases up to the age of 60. The rate of
increase is nearly 50 per cent. in every ten years.
As a general summary, it may be stated, that during the
year 1838, 36,799 persons died from ordinary, and 85,506
from specific, inflammation ; 19,122 from the terminations of
inflammatory affections ; 15,125 from heemorrage ; 2,821
from carcinomatous disease ; 60,861 from tuberculous mala-
dies : 2,256 from disordered secretions ; 2,512 from depraved
nutrition ; 47,773 from diseases of the nervous system ; 5,564
from old age; and 11,727 from violent deaths.