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more healthy districts into our towns, thus hindering and
delaying the natural physical decay of the constitutions of
the inhabitants of the latter, which would be otherwise more
rapid,and consequently more apparent. If we could establish
a thoroughly efficient blockade of our large cities, and allow
no further immigration into them from the country, it would
not be many years before the mortality of our centres of
population, as compared with that in healthier districts,
would be so marked, and the physical deterioration in our city
populations would become so apparent, that we should be
forced to take immediate steps to prevent their utter annihilation."
When it is considered that the town populations are
increasing enormously, and the country districts arc becoming
depleted, the evidence of the Commissioners, Mr. Cantlie,
Lord Brabazon, and Sir Thomas Crawford is of particular
significance.
Overcrowding is a term applied to two distinct conditions
which, however, are invariably associated together. The one
has reference to land upon which the houses are situated in
that degree of close approximation that the provision of air,
light, and space is reduced to a quantity below the standard
requirements of health; the other to houses in which the
inhabitants exceed in number the accommodation. Judged
from a sanitary aspect in cause and effect each is observed
to have an intimate dependence upon the other; both tend
undoubtedly in an eminent degree to produce that deterioration
in the physique of the poorer section of the community
which has been the subject of investigation: alike,
they derive their origin from causes which are more or less
remediable in character.
To examine exhaustively the causes of overcrowding
would require more time and space than is now at my
disposal. It is sufficient in this place to glance at some