Report on the mortality of Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven, for the months of January, and February, 1846 / by James Stark.

Date:
1846
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report on the mortality of Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven, for the months of January, and February, 1846 / by James Stark. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    cases of remittent fever were confined to Stockbridge—a locality in which croup and remittent fever are far from uncommon, probably produced by its low-lying damp situation, and its vicinity to the stagnant pools of the Water of Leith. Among adults, typhus fever and erysipelas were the most prevalent and fatal of the zymotic diseases. Neither of these were confined to the lower classes, several individuals of the upper ranks having fallen victims to their severity. Of the 25 typhus fever cases 13 were males and 12 females; the fatal period of life from that disease being from the 20th to the COtli year. Of the six cases of erysipelas four were males and two females. The cases of cancer were all in widows, respectively aged 56, 67, and 71. Pneumonia and consumption were the two most fatal diseases of the re- spiratory organs, during January, 10 males and 13 females having died of pneumonia ; 21 males and 30 females having died of consumption. The mode in which females expose the chest may serve somewhat to account for the greater mortality among them from diseases of the lungs, without attri- buting it to any other cause. The most remarkable fact which the table for January seems to esta- blish, is that consumption and other diseases of the respiratory organs are much less common in Edinburgh than in London, or even over the whole of England and Wales. Thus in London, during the month of January of the present year, diseases of the respiratory organs, including hooping- cough and croup, exceeded a third of the mortality ; and over England and Wales they amount to a third of the deaths. The average of London for the last five years gives a proportion of 34*9 for these diseases out of every 1000 deaths. In Edinburgh, however, during the month of January, the deaths from diseases of the respiratory organs, including hooping-cough and croup, were only between a fourth anil a fifth of the total mortality, or in the proportion of 215 out of every 1000 deaths. The enormous proportion of still-births must strike every one as some- thing remarkable. In the English tables these are included under the head of Debility. Under the same head in these tables are only placed those who are born alive but die within a few hours, days, weeks, or months, from debility or feebleness of organization. In London then, such cases amount on an average of five years to only 22 per 1000 deaths; but in Edinburgh the still-births and cases of debility amount to the enormous proportion of 100 in every 1000 deaths. The still-births of January this year exceeded by two those of January 1845. The large proportion of males in the still-born lias been long noticed ; during this month 21 were males and only six females; but of the cases of debility nine were males and seven females. The violent deaths during January were, 1. a carter, 63 years, suicide by drowning; 2. a soldier, 21 years, killed by a fall from the castle rocks, in endeavouring to escape from the castle; 3. a boy, aged 7, kill- ed on Leith Walk by wheel of cart going over him ; 4. a tailor, aged 26, suicide, by what means not stated ; 5. a girl, years, by accident, par- ticulars not-given; G. a shoemaker, 61 years, bled to death from an ac- cidental cut with his knife while at work ; 7. a female, 47 years,accident, cause not stated. f The case of privation was a clerk, 61 years, who died from want ot food. . , February.—The zymotic diseases prevalent among children during the month of February, were measles, hooping cough, croup, and small-pox. Measles was greatly on the decline, only 25 cases having proved fatal, 10 being males and 15 females. Hooping cough, croup, and small-pox, were, however, greatly on the increase. The cases of small-pox were all among the non-vaccinated, a fact proving but too clearly the reasons why this dis- ease still prevails among the lower classes. Were all efficiently vaccinated