On the mortality of Edinburgh and Leith, for the year 1848 : with remarks on the mortality prevailing in the chief towns of Scotland during that period / by James Stark.

  • Stark, James, 1814-1883.
Date:
1849
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On the mortality of Edinburgh and Leith, for the year 1848 : with remarks on the mortality prevailing in the chief towns of Scotland during that period / by James Stark. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    ber nnd November 1845. In Edinburgh the total mortality during October, November, and December, of the standard year 1845, amounted to 981 deaths; during the corresponding months of 1848, while cholera prevailed, the total deaths amounted to 1790 ; of these only 366 were attributable to cholera, leaving during these three months an excess of 443 deaths above the mor- tality of the corresponding months of the standard year 1845. The same fact is proved if we view the subject in another light. Before cholera appeared, the mortality in Edinburgh was falling to the low standard of 1845. Thus, the deaths from the ordinary diseases, excluding the whole zymotic class, averaged 6*6 daily during July, 6’2 daily during August, and 66 daily during Sep- tember; but, on the outbreak of cholera in October they rose to 7*2 daily, during November to 9'6 daily, and during December to 7'4 daily. The same was true of Glasgow. During Novem- ber and December, when cholera raged, the total mortality amounted to 3374 deaths, of which number 1420 were attribut- able to cholera, leaving 1954 deaths from ordinary causes. If we deduct the aggregate total mortality of the two previous months, it will leave an excess of deaths from ordinary causes, during the months when cholera prevailed, of 447 ; even allowing 100 addi- tional deaths during December, the excess of deaths from ordi- nary causes will, during the cholera period, amount to 347. As the very same facts were noticed, even to a more striking extent, during the continuance of epidemic typhus fever last year, it may be regarded as established, that the mortality from these great epi- demics is superadded to the general mortality, which, during their continuance, is also increased—not diminished, as heretofore was very generally believed. On the other hand, these great epidemics appear to render those who recover from them more liable to be affected afterwards with the ordinary diseases ; and thus the ge- neral mortality is kept above its natural standard for months even after the pestilence has entirely ceased its ravages. Thus, in 1833 the mortality in Edinburgh was still 800 above its natural stand- ard, though cholera had ceased the year previous. And many similar facts might be quoted. Every effort should therefore be made to arrest the progress of these epidemic diseases, which seem every day to be more and more on the increase. These three diseases, then, typhus fever, scarlet fever, and cholera, were the chief agents in raising the mortality of the past year so much beyond the average mortality of former years. It is to be hoped that the epidemic period has now passed from us, and that Edinburgh will revert to its pristine healthfulness. Of the other epidemic diseases, small-pox cut off 96 in Edin- burgh during the past year, of which number 8 were reported to have been previously vaccinated, and 88 not protected by vacci- nation. Only 5 deaths from the same disease occurred in Leith