View report page

126
1911
that many epidemics occurred in France and Switzerland in the same century,
and a notable one at Plymouth in 1745-46.
In the nineteenth century there were epidemics in North America during
the years 1812-25. In France (1814) there was an epidemic among the
conscripts, and at Christiana on December 18th, 1866 an epidemic broke out in
the Akerhaus Prison, which lasted until May, 1867. It was attributed to
overcrowding.
To the same cause Dr. Bryson attributed an epidemic which broke out
in the Mediterranean fleet in 1860. In 18G9 in the town of Eidsvold in Norway,
there was an outbreak in a row of cottages near some glass works, when the
town was otherwise free from disease.
In the spring of 1874 an epidemic occurred at East Sheen, Mortlake, and
the disease received the name of "Sewer-gas pneumonia," because the infection
was attributed to the sewer air emitted from a ventilator to the main sewer.
During the same year an epidemic occurred in Dublin, which was attributed
to a similar cause.
In the same and following year an epidemic which was noted by Dr.
Wynter Blyth swept over the south-western counties of England. In 1888
there was a serious outbreak in Middlesborough, which was investigated by the
late Dr. Ballard, the first Medical Officer of Health of Islington, but at that
time on the Medical Staff of the Local Government Board. This outbreak
lasted 24 weeks, during which there were about 1,000 cases and 369 deaths,
or a moitality of 36-9 per cent.
In April and May, 1890, the disease appeared in epidemic form at Scotter,
Lincolnshire, and no less than 22 deaths occurred among 32 known cases, so
that the mortality was 69 per cent. This outbreak was conjointly attributed to
sewer-air emanations and to simple contagion. In the year 1893 there was an
epidemic at Yeadon, Yorkshire, in which 35 cases were known, of whom 15, or
37 per cent. died.
1 here have also been other, indeed, numerous, epidemics, which most
people consider results from undue exposure to weather or similar causes.
Some time ago (1898) Dr. H. Mackenzie showed that it affects tome
220,830 persons annually in England, of whom 31,950, or 14.5 per cent., die.