248 THE WONDERFUL CENTURY. CHAP. xvm. 



after 1800, while the zymotics have continued to decline 

 from the same class of causes, one zymotic small-pox 

 must have been influenced by a new cause vaccination, 

 to produce its corresponding decline. Yet this is the 

 astounding claim made by the Royal Commissioners! 

 And if we turn to the other half of the diagram showing 

 the period of registration, the difficulty becomes even 

 greater. We first have a period from 1838 to 1870, in 

 which the zymotics actually rose; and from 1838 to 

 1871, averaging the great epidemic with the preceding 

 ten years, we find that small-pox also rose, or at the best 

 remained quite stationary. From 1871 to 1875 

 zymotics are much lower, but run quite parallel with 

 small-pox; then there is a slight decline in both, and 

 zymotics and small-pox remain lower in the last ten years 

 than they have ever been before, although in this last 

 period vaccination has greatly diminished. 



Turning to the upper line, showing the death-rate 

 from all causes, we again find a parallelism throughout, 

 indicating improved general conditions acting upon all 

 diseases. The decline of the total death-rate from 1760 

 to 1810 is remarkably great, and it continues at a some- 

 what less rate to 1830, just as do the zymotics and small- 

 pox. Then commences a period from 1840 to 1870 of 

 hardly perceptible decline partly due to successive epi- 

 demics of cholera, again running parallel with the course 

 of the zymotics and of small-pox; followed by a great 

 decline to the present time, corresponding in amount to 

 that at the beginning of the century. 



The Commissioners repeatedly call attention to the 

 fact that the mortality from measles has not at all de- 

 clined, and that other zymotics have not declined, 



