35 



event with so much solar heat as ia recorded for this month, and shows how 

 intense must have been the sun's rays in the shortened time of their operation. 



Ozone mean, 6 '93 is actually + "10 above the average of the previous 7 years, 

 though — '48 less than 1863 had. The maximum was 10, being the point of 

 saturation, and the minimum "5. The predominance of sea-breezes, with 

 the washing the air so frequently underwent from the numerous light showers, 

 offers a feasible explanation of this unexpected result, under so many other 

 conditions calculated to minimize it. 



Electricity was no exception to the abnormal character of so many other of 

 the meteorological phenomena of the month. There were only 5 positive 

 records, with the low-tension of 4. Apiil, 1863, had 16 with tension of 4*5. 

 The negative indications were so numerous as 42, but with only a tension of 

 4 "5. In 1863 negatives were only 33, but with half a degree higher tension. 

 The predominant belief that much negative electricity is usually associated with 

 the asthenic types of disease, is corroborated by the great excess of zymotic 

 diseases this month, over all the other classes, as will be seen hereafter. 



The deaths this month were 54, which is higher than that of any April of the 

 previous seven years, and + 9 one-seventh above the average of the whole. On 

 children up to nine years of age, has the greatest share of the mortality 

 fallen ; while old people above 60 have not died at a rate remarkable either 

 for excess or otherwise ; but adults, from 20 to 60, never before added so few 

 to the mortuary record. The following table will give the clearest exemplifica- 

 tion of my statements : — 



33 deaths under 5 years of age out of a total of 54, is not much short of two- 

 thirds of the whole, which I think is almost without parallel in this city. 

 Large as the general mortality was in the previous month, the proportion 

 ■under 5 years of age was little moi-e than half ; but when I add that in the 

 present month, the 4 deaths 5 to 20, were two each, of children aged respec- 

 tively 6 and 9 years, and that the two deaths in this group in March were aged 

 11 and 16, the contrast becomes still more striking. The proportion of deaths, 

 too, tabulated for the five classes of disease into which all modern statists 

 nosologically group their mortuary records, is quite as riiuch at variance with 

 the normal numbers, as that of the ages is : — 



In no one April, of the previous seven years, were Zymotic diseases so 

 numerous as in the present. The previous maximum, 1861, had, as the table 

 shows, but httle more than half the number. The deaths in this class were 

 scarlatina 5, diphtheria 2, croup 1, fever 2, dysentery and diarrhoea 22. No 

 previous month^ since the present epidemic of scarlatina commenced, had so 

 many deaths registered from this cause. Still, as one at least of the deaths 

 •did not take place until after tha-ee weeks, I should suppose the cause of 



