1868. | The Public Health. 277 
parative credit must be given to London for this pre-eminence in 
health. In connection with this high sanitary position, it should be 
recollected that London has had now for above ten years a body of 
Medical Officers of Health, and none of the other towns on the list 
have had the advantage of such an officer for that period. We 
believe, however, with the exception of Manchester, that they all have 
a Medical Officer of Health. It is asignificant fact, that Manchester 
in 1867 presents the highest mortality. We have, however, to 
announce that Manchester has at last appointed a Medical Officer 
of Health, and we hope soon to have to record the advantages 
conferred on the city by his agency. In order, however, that it may 
be seen what is the real difference between the mortality of London 
and Manchester as indicated in the above table, we would remind 
our readers that if the death-rate of Manchester had been in 1867 
as low as that of London, that 3.258 lives would have been saved! 
Manchester has a school of politicians of its own, addicted according 
to some writers to a mercenary consideration of profit and loss. 
Will not some of their statisticians calculate for them the loss upon 
these three thousand two hundred and fifty-eight lives ? Manchester 
has Christian Churches and Philanthropic Societies, and a Ladies’ 
Sanitary Association. Cannot some of the ministers and secretaries 
of these associations cast up, for the benefit of Manchester people, 
the amount of agony that might have been saved, wretchedness and 
want and disease short of death that might have been prevented, 
had the causes that slew this mass of human beings been withdrawn 
in time ? 
It will be seen that Newcastle-upon-Tyne stands second on the 
list. The mortality of this town stands much higher than formerly, 
and its present high rate demands attention. It should be recol- 
lected in these towns that a few years ago a death-rate of 30 in 
the 1,000 was considered so exceptional, that the Government has 
power to interfere when the mortality of a town has continued 
above that rate more than a year. 
Liverpool has gone through a fiery trial, and after long taking 
the lead as the most deadly city in the empire, may be congratu- 
lated in standing third on the list. It is to be hoped that even 
the present rate of mortality will be diminished before long. We 
need not comment further on this lst except to point out the low 
mortality of Hull, Sheffield, Birmingham, and Bristol as compared 
with the other large towns of the United Kingdom. Hull more 
especially is to be commended: it hes low, below the sea-level (as 
the recent flood showed), and is surrounded by a swampy country. 
It should, however, be remembered that a death-rate of 24 in the 
1,000 is unnecessarily high, and that where it exists at that point, 
it can most assuredly be reduced by sanitary measures to a lower 
figure. 
