53 



ANALYSIS OF THE OBSERVATORY EECOEDS FOR 

 JUNE, 1866, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THOSE OF 

 BIRTHS, DEATHS, &c. By E. Swarbeeck Hall. 



The very abnormal meteorological phenomena of the present June were 

 'attended with a very great mortality of aged people,one half of the total number 

 of deaths being at ages ranging from 60 to 89 years. No year's June on record 

 had anything near so large a proportion of senile deaths. On the other hand, 

 24 deaths at all ages below GO, is 13 5-9 less than the nine years' average for 

 the same groups. Only 18G5 had a smaller number than the present month, 

 i.e. 20. 



Atmospheric pressure, maximum, 30.689, occurred on the 12th, and is the 

 highest ever recorded in the month of June for the last 26 years. The mini- 

 mum, 29*208, was registered on the 8th. Many Junes have had a lower 

 minimum. The month's range, 1 '480 inches, occurring within four days, was 

 only exceeded in June, 1851, when it amounted to 1.639 inches. The daily 

 fluctuations were very great. The maximum rise of the barometer happened 

 on the 9th, + 1*136 inches, being the greatest on record in the month of June. 

 The largest fall was almost half an inch,— 496, and noted on the 16th. Besides 

 these, there were eleven other days on which the perturbations of the 

 mercurial column exceeded one-fifth of an inch. The mean pressure for the 

 month was 29 "977, which is + "110 above the 20 years' mean of the adopted 

 standard. Nevertheless, the three previous years' Junes had all higher means, 

 as also had 18.^9, 1858, 1852. Such a condition of atmospheric pressure, as above 

 depicted, is always extensively fatal to old and debilitated persons, while the 

 young and healthy endure it with impunity. 



Wind-force greatly exceeded anything ever before recorded for this usually 

 calm month, 78 ■841bs. which is + 54 •341bs. above the average of the previous 

 nine years, and more than twice the amount of the highest of them, L857, which 

 had a total of only 37 "28 lbs. Calms were noted at 31 of the 90 observations, 

 but the nine years' average for June is somewhat above 46. The strongest 

 winds had a pressui-e of 5 '21 lbs. to the square foot, and were registered 6 times. 

 South-west, west, (and north-ioest, were all greatly above the average both 

 in frequency and force ; while all the other five points of the compass were 

 below in both respects, excepting a trifling excess in frequency only with 

 north-east A-inds. So much aerial movement, mostly well charged with ozone, 

 was highly conducive to atmospheric purity, and utterly banished zymotic or 

 fermenting diseases, but proved injurious from its stimulating effects on 

 the organs of respiration, and thereby creating catarrhal affections from 

 which few persons escaped. Similar attacks were prevalent, from the same 

 cause, in June 1864 and 1863. With the influenza, however, which was-so de- 

 structive to old and weakly persons in July 1860, causing the enormous 

 number of 114 total deaths in that month, 49 being above 60 years old, the 

 meteorological phenomena were very different ; — steady high atmospheric 

 pressure, 57 calms out of 93 observations, total wind-force of no more than 

 10'14 lbs., of which, 7 "28 lbs. was from north-west winds; tempei-ature much 

 more above the mean, a much smaller rain-fall, and ozone much below the 

 average. The influenza is a disease of the asthenic type, while the catarrh of 

 the present and other months was sthenic. 



Temperature mean was 48.83 degrees, being -F 1.70 above the 20 years' 

 average. The mean of all the maxima and minima of the self-registering 

 thermometei's was actually less than the former, being only 48.55 degrees. 

 This is an uniDrecedented occurrence. The mean of all the maxima, or high- 

 day temperatures, was only 57.53 degrees, while in June, 1865, it was 61.60, 

 though its month's mean was — "39 of a degree below the j)resent month. The 

 minima, or low-night mean, was 39.57 degrees, 1865 being 39.33 degrees. Yet 

 in the present month there was so low a minimum as 29 degrees on the 11th, 

 while 1865 had only the minimum of 32. The maximum temperature was re- 

 corded for the 7th, being 68 degrees, while in 1865 it was 72. 



Daily range of temperature wxe^n, was 17*10 degrees, being + 1*80 more 

 than the 20 years' average, though — 5*17 degrees less than June 1865 had. This 

 gives pretty strong proof that mere variations of temperature did not cause the 



