The Sun. — 1859-11-23 (London, England)

HEALTH OF LONDON DURING THE WEEK.  (Front the Report of the Registrar-General.)  A low temperature of the air, which commenced on the 9th inst., and continued during 11 days, has caused the deaths in London to rise from 1,031, the number returned in the previous week to 1,233, the number shown in the return of last week. In the ten years 1849.58 the average number of deaths in the weeks corresponding with last week was 1,114 ; but as the deaths contained in the present return occurred in a population which has increased, they should be compared with the average raised in proportion to the increase, namely, with 1,225. It will be seen from this statement, that the actual mortality agrees very closely with the result obtained from calculation. The cold and fogs of last'week attacked the respiratory organs, and the deaths from diseases which affect them, not including iththisis, have risen from 179 to 233. In the last four weeks the deaths from bronchitis have been 58, 90, 102, and 138. Pneumonia or inflammation of the lungs, the deaths referred to which head are chiefly those of children, has apparently not been fatally aggravated by the weather, for the numbers assigned to it in the last three weeks were 73, 60, and 64. Phthisis or consumption rose from 132 in the previous week to 157 last week. That persons of advanced age have lately suffered much appears from the fact that eight nonagenarians are returned, four of whom when they died were aged respectively 94, 95, 96, and 97 years. Two children, twins, in one family, and two children also twins in another died, having been born prematurely ; and three children of a carpenter's labourer, being triplets, died of inanition in Winchester-court, Pentouville.  Seven ptTsons committed suicide, among whom was a girl, aged 17 years, who killed herself with prussic acid. Three widows died from " febris" in the workhouse, Mile-end New Town. Five children died of measles in the sub-district of St. John, "%Yostminster. Scarlatina was fatal in 66 cases, diphtheria in 9 ; of the former 4 occurred in All Souls, Marylebone, 4 in Kentish-town, 5 in Islington West, sin St. Giles South. S:nall pox was fatal in 29 cases, 6 of which occurred in the Small-pox. Hospital. All the victims of this disease were children under 10 years of age, except 6, who had attained the age of 20 or upwards. Dr. Thomson, the Medical Officer of Health for Marylebone, makes the following observations on small-pox in St. John's-wood :—Nine cases of smallpox have come under treatment at the Portlandtown Free Dispensary, St. John's-wood, within as many days. I am indebted for the facts to the attention of William Orange, Esq.; resident medical officer. The first, a semi-confluent case, was a child without any visible cicatrix, in St. John'swood-terrace, the family having come from Highgate a few days previously, where the disease prevailed. Her aunt, at No. 8, Victoria. terrace, likewise without any visible cicatrix, caught the disease ; the eruption was very full.' In two children with good scars, at 27, Newstreet, the ernption appeared very mildly. Another case occurred at 8, Upper William-street, with scarcely any scar ; the mother stated the girl to have been vaccinated, but added, she had no faith at all in vaccination.' Three children at 6, Henry place, who had been protected by vaccination, had the disease very mildly. The last case was that of a gitl at 28, Victoria-terrace, with two good scars, and who had been playing with some of the infected children ; the eruption is moderately full.' Hitherto there has been no fatality in these cases." Of bricklayers 5 died in the week, of bricklayers' wives 5, of bricklayers' children 5 ; of carpenters 9 died, of carpenters' wives 6, of carpenters' children 22 ; of masons 2 died, of masons' wives 2, of masons' children 3; of painters 4 died, of painters' wives 3, of painters' children 13 ; of plasterers 2 died, of plasterers' wives 2, of plasterers' children 2. Last week the births of 958 boys and 902 girls, in all 1,860 children, were registered in London.