On some of the causes of the high rate of mortality in Greenock : with an account of their origin, as well as of the measures which have been taken, and are still required, for their abatement or removal / by James Greenock.

  • Wallace, James.
Date:
1860
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On some of the causes of the high rate of mortality in Greenock : with an account of their origin, as well as of the measures which have been taken, and are still required, for their abatement or removal / by James Greenock. 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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    exceeded in 1858 by Glasgow and Paisley, in con- sequence of the prevalence of scarlatina iu both of these places, and of hooping-cough, besides, in the latter; but in 1859 it more than resumed its former position, the mortality in that year being at the rate of 1 in 69, while that for Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen, Paisley, Leith, and Perth, was respectively, 1 in 119, 1 in 261, 1 in 183, 1 in 208, 1 in 169,1 in 263, and 1 in 219. This enormous dis- parity arose chiefly from a severe epidemic of scar- latina, which cut off no fewer than 271 persons, 267 of whom were below the age of 20. Table showing the death-rate from diseases of the zymotic class for the four years ending Dec. 31, 1859. KATE. Average 1856 1857 1858 1859 Kate. One in One in One in One in One in Glasgow 124 111 124 122 120 Edinburgh 156 286 202 269 228 Dundee 97 189 154 137 144 Aberdeen 203 223 277 210 228 Paisley 143 106 139 163 137 Greenock 92 103 156 69 105 Leith 126 187 177 268 189 Perth 229 105 183 226 185 Nor can a better account be given of the mortality from the tubercular class of diseases, the deaths from this source beiug in Greenock invariably higher than in any of the other large towns, as will be seen from the following table :— Table showing the death rate from diseases of the tuber- cular class for the four years ending Dec. 31, 1859. BATE. Average 1856 1857 1858 1859 | One in One in One in One in One in Glasgow 202 181 184 191 189 Eilinburgh, 238 234 214 252 234 Dundee 243 194 212 234 220 Aberdeen] 247 205 231 236 229 Paisley 282 195 193 201 217 Greenock 186 156 168 166 169 Leith 276 303 300 308 296 Perth 229 246 229 262 241 Taking consumption alone, it uniformly stands highest in Greenock, the mortality being as follows : 1856 HA 1857 TE. 1858 1859 Average Rate. One in One in One in One in One in Glasgow 291 258 271 262 270 Edinburgh .... 360 354 317 355 346 Dundee 340 284 286 328 309 Aberdeen 399 296 327 374 349 Paisley 412 283 254 258 301 Greenock 259 234 224 227 236 Leith 445 436 433 430 436 Perth 439 354 283 348 356 The deaths under the respiratory class may also be taken as a fair index of the iusalubrity of the town. And here Greenock is exceeded only by Glasgow, the results being as follows :— RATE. A verage 1856 1857 1858 1859 Rate. One in One in One in One in One in Glasgow 249 253 209 273 246 Edinburgh 306 384 323 367 345 Dundee 398 414 340 455 401 Aberdeen 397 406 426 427 414 Paisley 426 451 395 443 428 Greenock 308 352 277 253 297 Leith 457 559 367 725 527 Perth 504 452 296 662 478 Nor is there a different result from diseases of the digestive organs, as may be seeu from the following table RATE. Average 1856 1857 1858 1859 Rate. One in One in One in One in One in Glasgow 438 395 458 469 440 Edinburgh 816 741 633 696 721 Dundee 549 414 547 703 553 Aberdeen 629 867 592 735 705 Paisley 497 354 399 469 429 Greenock 398 355 383 540 418 Leith 880 620 791 601 723 Perth 939 438 498 697 643 Previous to the returns of the Registrar-General, no reliable data can be found as to the mortality classified according to diseases or groups of diseases. The total mortality, however, as ascertained from the number of interments in the three burying- grounds of the town is available from 1843, when a register began to be kept by a Mr Teulon, under the sanction of the magistrates. From the following table it will be seen that Greenock was several times still lower in the sanitary scale than it has been since the new system of registration came into operation:— Year. Estimd. Pop Deaths. Kate. 1843 37,036 1006 One in 36 1844 37,086 777 47 1845 37,136 873 42 1846 37,186 37.236 1142 32 1847 2285 16 Epidemic of Fever. 1848 37,286 1374 27 1849 37,336 2403 11 „ Cholera. 1850 37,386 1197 31 1851 37,436 872 42 1852 37.486 1120 33 1853 37,536 1286 29 1854 37,586 1591 23 What the rate of mortality may have been before 1843 it is difficult to determine. No tables of any kind appear to have been regularly kept, although