\\'eather of 1911 IN Relation to Health. 2U7 



at Driinilanrig on 12th July; the lowest 16 deg. F., and this 

 was the reading both at Eskdalemuir and Drumlanrig on 1st 

 February. The aggregate rainfalls were 60.93 inches at Esk- 

 dalemuir; 49.69 at Drumlanrig; 37.34 at Dumfries; and 36.75 at 

 Comlongon. I am able by the courtesy of Mr H. C. Irving, 

 Convener of the County, Provost Halliday, and Mr Lyall to 

 give the rainfalls of three other stations, viz., Burnfoot, Eccle- 

 fechan, Lochmaben, and Ewes, the yearly aggregate of these 

 being 39.20, 37.40, and 53.48 inches respectively. The falls for 

 the seven stations give an a\erage of 44.97 inches. The rainfall 

 over seventy-three stations of the Scottish Meteorological Societ}' 

 averaged 38.88 inches. There was a long drought, as already 

 indicated in the monthly notes, from about the middle of May 

 to the middle of October, but the question whether this year as 

 a whole was a dry one would pro\'oke ver}' \arying answers. At 

 Dumfries the fall was 0.91 inches below its average; at Drum- 

 lanrig it was 5 inches above. The rainfall over the seventy- 

 three stations in Scotland was like that at Dumfries, just 0.91 

 inches below its average. The observations on wind directions 

 show that 21 per cent, of these were from easterly points, more 

 particularly north-east; 49 per cent, from westerly, the greater 

 number from south-west; 6 per cent, from due north; the same 

 proportion from due south; and 18 per cent, were variable. 



To turn now to the vital statistics, the total number of deaths 

 was 810, and the rate per 1000 14.270. This is below the 

 average of the previous ten years (15.5035), a point which may 

 be otherwise and more plainly expressed by saying that the 

 " e.xpected " deaths were 880, or seventy more than the actual 

 number, so that 70 lives have been continued into 1912 which 

 might on these calculations have been expected to come to an 

 end in 1911. How far this may have been due to seasonal 

 influences it is difficult to say, and as so many factors go to the 

 making of a death-rate one must be careful not to make one's 

 inferences too wide. An examination of the monthly figures of 

 actual and expected deaths brings out one or two points of 

 interest. During eight months, January, February, March, May, 

 June, July, August, and October the actual number of deaths 

 was less than the expected by 101, while in the four remaining 

 months, April, September, November, and December, the 

 actual exceeded the expected by 31. The months in which the 



