1868. | The Public Health. 441 
habitants of something over fifteen shillings per head. There are 
some persons so hard-headed and granite-hearted that they can only 
be spoken to on such a subject as this through the medium of 
“£. s. d.,” and Dr. Beveridge has done well to speak to them in 
such unmistakable language as he adopts. 
Dr. Beveridge strongly believes that the probable cause of the 
epidemic lies not external to the houses, but within them, and says, 
if it can be shown that the theory of overcrowding as a cause will 
account for the phenomena presented by the disease, it would seem 
probable that this is the true explanation of its origin. Here is a 
brief summary of the facts which Dr. Beveridge’s observation has 
elicited. The disease is most intense in cold weather ; it attacks females 
more than males; it attacks young persons in greater proportion 
than the old; contagious, and more dangerous in old than in young, 
and in males than in females; then, as specialities, it attacks indi- 
viduals, as a rule, but once; the attack lasts three weeks, and is most 
dangerous in the second week. He adopts the theory of over- 
crowding, and shows that the facts would support it most. satisfac- 
torily. The epidemic, fortunately, is now got under ; at all events, 
the ravages of the disease are at present on a much smaller extent. 
We learn that the sanitary condition of the town is fair on the whole, 
although in many points it might be improved. The water supply 
is excellent and in abundance, the water being taken from the Dee, 
about twenty miles from the town. The drainage is being improved, 
and a general plan adopted ; but whether that will thoroughly answer 
the end in view, remains to be seen. The population, which was 
nearly stationary from 1850 to 1860, chiefly from commercial dis- 
asters, seems now to be rapidly increasing, but it is doubtful if house 
accommodation is at all keeping pace with the increase of population. 
Overcrowding is too common in many situations. Efforts have been 
made to set going a scheme for procuring statistics regularly on 
the sanitary state of the town, but hitherto without success, as the 
people in the far north are only with difficulty got out of their old 
jog-trot. Through paltry petty jealousies and parsimonious efforts at 
saving, there is room to fear that a laudable attempt being made just 
now to start a fever hospital will break down, and the people will 
only arouse from their apathy and stolid indifference by a return of 
the epidemic, for which no preparations will be made. 
The benefits accruing to a town from having an active and lynx- 
eyed inspector of nuisances are well seen in Perth. During the 
first quarter of this year a typhus epidemic broke out very suddenly, 
and, notwithstanding the general mildness of the weather, soon ran 
the death-rate above that for the corresponding period in the two 
preceding years ; but it almost as suddenly disappeared, owing, it is 
believed, to the active exertions of the officer just named. He is not 
only indefatigable in getting the lanes and “closes” cleansed, but 
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