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get rid of it and improve their condition. Such houses as those above referred
to ought to be visited at least two or three times a year; if a drain gets blocked
up, or a trap is defective, this may remain so for weeks without any complaint
being made, to the injury of the health of all who live in the house ; or if the
water supply is cut off, owing to some defect in a pipe or butt, or the improper
action of a ball-cock, or if the water is made poisonous by the foul state of the
butt, these things may remain for weeks until some accident brings them under
the notice of myself or the Inspectors. If an infectious disease occurs in the
house, no means are probably adopted to disinfect the bedding, the clothes, or
the walls, unless the parties responsible are required to do so. A house of this
kind may be put into a good sanitary condition to-day, but unless the landlord
or his agent be very careful as to what class of tenants occupy it, and looks to
it occasionally when he collects his rents, by this day twelvemonths it will be
in such a state as to be a perfect hot-bed for all kinds of infectious diseases.
As a good example of the salutary effects upon mortality of simple sanitary
measures, may be mentioned the town of Ely, which is a small city (of 6176
inhabitants in 1851)* in the neighbourhood of the low lands and marshes, which
are still very imperfectly drained. The Ely Board of Health was founded in
1851, and set on foot two great works, one for supplying the town with water,
the other for thoroughly draining the houses. The public works were completed
at the end of 1854, and the houses were gradually connected with the public
sewers, leaving, however, in 1859, 200 out of 1200 houses still out of connection.
In 7 years (1843-49), before the Works were commenced, the mortality
was at the rate of 26 deaths annually to every thousand living; in the 7 subsequent
years, when the sanitary measures were only partially carried out, the
mortality fell down to the rate of 19 deaths annually to every thousand living;
in the two last years, 1856-57, the mortality was at the rate of 17 in a thousand
; so that the mortality has fallen from 26 to 17 per thousand; that is to say,
it is reduced by more than one-third.
METEOROLOGY.
The average temperature of the year was very nearly that of 17 previous
years; viz., 49°,2, or 0°-l above the average. The first quarter of the year
was 1°.6 cooler than the average of 17 years; the second quarter was 1°.6
wanner than the average ; the third quarter l°.0 warmer; and the fourth quarter
0.8° colder than the average. The mean daily range of temperature wasl7°.3,
being 1°7 more than the average of 17 years. Humidity was 3 degress less than
the average. Themean height of the barometer was 29.834 being .059 higher than
the average of 17 years. Only 17.2 inches of rain fell, being 6.6 inches less
than the average of 40 years. The average rate of movement of the wind was
86 miles a day instead of 110 miles, which is the average rate of former years.
The chief peculiarities in the meteorological phenomena were the very great
slowness of the wind's movements, the unusual dryness of the atmosphere, and
the small amount of rain. There was also a higher daily range of temperature
than usual; also slightly higher barometric readings.
The whole of these items are obtained from the Registrar General's Report,
and are only strictly correct for Greenwich, though not very incorrect for St.
Pancras.
I have the honour to remain, Gentlemen,
Your obedient Servant,
21, Upper Gower Street, THOMAS HILLIER.
May, 1859.
*See Quarterly Report of Registrar General, No. 39, page 5.