119
BeefMuttonVeal .
1850 1851
3/Ci 3/<r)
4/0j 4/0 3 J per stone of 8 lbs.
3/8* 3'9f|
Avcrago Prices of Provisions in 36 of the Metropolitan Unions.
1850
185]
Meat .
. "17m
5/1 per stone
Bread .
. 10 / 2 J
10 / 0 f per cwt.
Flour .
. 30/If
30/6* per sack.
Milk . .
. 1/3*
1 /3 per gallon.
Cheese.
. 36/2*
35/9f per cwt.
Potatoes .
. 86 / 11 *
77/lf- per ton.
STATE
OF HEALTH.
The Weekly Returns published by the Registrar-General exhibit, as compared with theaverage of ten previous years, an increased rate of mortality in the months of February andMarch of the present year, which continued during the summer aud the commencement oftho autumn, but in a less marked dogreo. It would not bo within tlio province of this reportto enter into a critical examination of tho causes of death, and of the accidonts of temperatureand climate which have produced that excess of mortality; it must, however, bo observed,that tho more prevalent diseases proving fatal in the spring and summer were attributable totho inclemency of the season, and that in tho month of July, when the summer was more dis-tinctly felt, although tho number of visitors was rapidly increasing, and when they would havemade an impression, if any could bo traced to that cause, tho mortality decreased, and thodiseases which at that time proved most fatal were thoso incidental to children of tenderyears, aud those generally prevalent at that season of tho year.
Tho mortality of the twenty-six weeks ended 27th September, 1851, compared with thocorresponding wocks of ten previous years, allowance being made in tho calculation for thoestimated increase of population, has been either ocpial to or below tho average in nine, audhas exceeded the average in seventeen weeks. The total numbor of deaths in tho twenty-sixweeks was 25,980, and tho excess of deaths over the average 493, which occurred principallyat the beginning of tho poriod, the latter wooks being either below, or but slightly above theaverage.
Although the number of deaths is a sufficiently accurate indox of the stato of health gene-rally, yet it was not improbable that during the past summer sickness might have increasedin amount, though not in soveritv, and reference has been made to tho Hospitals and Dispen-saries in order to ascertain whether any material increase of sickness had been observed, oronly such an increase as might have been expected from a slightly increased mortality.Returns have been obtainod from tho eleven Hospitals and from thirteen of the principalDispensaries of tho Metropolis, and a statement of tho results is annexed :—•
From 1st of April to 30tli of September,
1850 1851
ln-patients. 14,742 15,359
Out-patients. 177,692 195,950
192,434 211,309
The amount of sicknoss disclosod by these figures, although they do not iucludo returnsfrom all the Dispensaries, may bo considered as a fair criterion of the comparative stato ofpublic health during six months of tho two last years. There has been an increase of appli-cations during tho latter period at tho rate of 9 '8 per cent., but excluding the Hospitals andDispensaries in tho City, in Southwark, and Islington, the increase is at tho rate of 2'9per cent.
The foregoing numbers extend only over a period of six months, and if tho oondition of thopublic health continued tho same for a year, thore would be upwards of 400,000 personsdependent upon twenty-four Institutions for medical relief. Tliero are many other Dispen-saries, there aro tho Parish Infirmaries, and tho Medical Officers of Poor Law Unions, fromwhich sources roturns liavo not boon requested, and tho numbor therefore just quotod doesnot represent the entire annual amount of sickness relieved by the Public Institutions of theM etropolis. This statement is the more deserving of attention from the admission mudo atseveral of the Dispensaries, that a largo numbor of applications are from persons not sufferingfrom organic or clearly defined disease, but from ill health produced by the want of wholesomeand sufficient food and clothing, and residence in noxious abodes.