TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 115 
A Descriptive and Statistical Report of the Epidemic Influenza, as it 
oceurred at Bolton-le-Moors, in the Months of January, February, 
and March, 1837. By Dr. Buack. 
In this Report the author gives, first, a résumé of the general 
symptoms, with a notice of those more peculiar pathognomical charac- 
ters which distinguished some of the more intense cases; and secondly, 
and principally, directs attention to that view of the epidemic which 
relates to meteorology, medico-vital statistics, and mortality. 
The following extract is from the second portion of this elaborate 
paper :— 
To the medical philosopher the extent and intensity with which this 
late epidemic bore upon the population of the country, along with the 
ratio of mortality which marked its progress, as well as the meteorologie 
state of the weather which preceded and accompanied its march 
over the kingdom, are subjects of great and historical interest, espe- 
cially when they are compared with the nature and progress of 
former epidemics of a similar character. For the purpose of 
elucidating these important and relative matters, as far as the disease 
appeared and prevailed at Bolton, I have obtained a correct register 
of the weather in its principal meteorologic conditions, for the months 
of January, February, and March, during which period the epidemic 
appeared, prevailed, and finally decayed in that town and its vicinity. 
To this register, for which I am indebted to Mr. H. Watson, an intel- 
ligent chemist of Bolton, [ have added a column exhibiting a nosometric 
scale of the epidemic’s rise, maximum intensity, and decay in the 
place. This column has been constructed from the several lists of 
fresh cases of the influenza that were daily entered and kept by three 
of the principal practitioners of the town and myself; which separate 
entries for each day, being added together, gave a ratio corresponding 
to 100 as the maximum intensity on the 3rd of February. To this 
table I have also subjoined a register of 420 burials at the parish 
church, Bolton, at which place about nine-tenths of all dying in the 
borough are interred. I have therein, moreover, stated the several 
ages, in quinquennial periods, at which the individuals died after the 
fifth year, with the several amounts and ratios during the late epidemic 
season, as well as the averages during the same months of the five 
previous years. (Vide the Tables.) 
From the Meteorological Register it is seen that, during the first 
two weeks of January, the temperature was very irregular, varying in 
the mean of morning, noon, and night, from 47° 3 to 27° 3, while the 
barometer was gradually falling from 30°27 to 29°17, and snow, hail, 
rain, and fine weather in turns prevailed. The epidemic during this 
period had scarcely made its appearance, and except it had more 
manifestly done so, the few cases of suffocative catarrh and atonic 
bronchitis that occurred would have been attributed to an endemic or 
sporadic origin. With the 14th day of the month commenced a week 
of fair weather, with a steadier and milder temperature; but after a 
very sudden rise, there took place ; declining state of the mercurial 
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