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the atmospheric temperature, or than that recorded by the one-foot
earth thermometer.
(d) The influence of the atmospheric temperature, and of the
temperature of the more superficial layers of the earth .... is
little, if at all, apparent until the temperature of the four-foot earth
thermometer has risen as stated above; then their influence is
apparent, but it is a subsidiary one.
On July 1st, 1902, we commenced a four-foot earth thermometer
(Symon's) in the gardens of Wilmington Square (near
the Town Hall), and since that date a daily reading has been
taken at 9 a.m. The thermometer registered 56.0° F. on July
7th, and it remained above that figure until October 2nd. On
July 11th it rose to 57.0° F.; on July 20th. 57.9° F.; on August
21st, over 58.0° F., and from August 25th until September 16th
it remained at or over 58.0° F. During that period, 61 deaths,
from Epidemic Diarrhæa, of children occurred. The average
age at death was eight months. Unhappily, the past records for
a number of years for the constituent parts of the Borough do
not suffice to show how this figure of 61 compares with previous
years, but the deaths from Epidemic Diarrhæa in total, and the
corresponding rates (calculated on the changing population) from
1898 to 1902 are as follows :—
Years. No of Deaths from Epidemic Diarrhœa. Death rate. Air Temperature in Summer Quarter. Rainfall in Summer Quarter.
1898 176 1.6 62.7 2.51
1899 187 1.8 63.0 4.32
1900 160 1.5 61.8 4.58
1901 127 l.2 61.7 5.10
1902 84 0.8 61.1 6.02
The relationship between the weekly number of deaths from
Epidemic Diarrhæa and the temperature, as recorded by the
four-foot earth thermometer, is shown the following Table :—