316 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. VIII., No. 193 



be placed, if not geographically, at least morally, 

 at the East End of the town ; that is, it must be 

 built in a poor quarter. Even in common fair- 

 ness, the poor have a right to the site of the next 

 museum. When the natural history collections 

 were removed from the British museum to South 

 Kensington, a great opportunity was missed. 

 There is no taste more common among the poor 

 than the taste for natural history. Had the 

 stuffed beasts and birds with which the people of 

 the West End are so heartily, so naturally bored, 

 been put up in Whitechapel, they would have 

 been welcomed by streams of admirers. Such a 

 mistake ought not to be made this time. Of 

 course, the architects, the men of science, and the 

 artists like to see ranges of imposing galleries, and 

 consider the collections and the advantages of the 

 site far more than they do the public that looks at 

 them, or that pays for them. Even they, how- 

 ever, would relent if they realized how useful, 

 how pleasure-giving, how healthful a triumph 

 might be secured by placing the great collections 

 of art and science within the reach of the poor. 

 Practically, they cannot go to the collections, and 

 so the collections should go to them wherever pos- 

 sible or reasonable. But the rich can go into the 

 East End to see exhibitions, and the more they 

 are compelled to go there, the better. Let them, 

 by going to see the new institute, learn where the 

 poor hve in London, and let them realize the con- 

 dition of life there, and discover how, though ma- 

 terially it is nothing like so awful as they fancy 

 in their compassionate and sentimental moments, 

 it is, as far as education, self -improvement, ration- 

 al and healthful pleasure are concerned, far below 

 any standard which we can be content with. 



Although so much of this was written for Eng- 

 lish readers, its truths are of value in America. 



THE HEALTH OF NEW YORK DURING 

 AUGUST. 



The popvdation of New York is estimated at 

 1,446,000. Of this number, 3,246 died in the 

 month of August, a decrease of 952 deaths as 

 compared with the preceding month. Among 

 children under five years of age, 939 less deaths 

 occurred than in July, wliile there was also a 

 diminished mortaUty from diarrhoeal diseases, 

 amounting to 677. Diphtheria proved fatal in 

 104 cases, as against 133 in July ; and scarlet-fever 

 caused but 15 deaths, a gain of 10 as compared 

 with the preceding month. The week ending on 

 the 28th is noteworthy as having no deaths 

 recorded from scarlet-fever, which is a most re- 

 markable incident in a city of a million and a 

 half of people. The deaths from consumption 



were 443, four more than are recorded for July. 

 It will be seen from these figures that the health 

 of New York is improving ; and, unless the tem- 

 perature and humidity of the early faU are un- 

 propitious, we shall expect to see a gradual falling 

 of the death-rate until winter sets in, when the 

 deaths from diseases of the respiratory organs will 

 so increase as to again augment it. 



August was pre-eminently a cool month. The 

 mean temperature was but 70.19'' F. An examina- 

 tion of the record of temperature as far back as 

 1870 fails to show any August in which the mean 

 was so low. The nearest approach to it was in 

 1874, when it was 70.25" F. In most of the years 

 during the past decade the mean has been above 

 72° F., and in one year, 1877, reached 75.37° F. 

 The maximum point attained by the mercury 

 during the month was 90° F., at 4 p.m. of the 28th. 

 In four of the past ten years the August tem- 

 perature has been the same as this year. In 1884 

 and 1885 it was one degree higher, and in 1880 

 and 1883 one degree lower. 90° F. may be con- 

 sidered as the maximum temperature for August 

 for the past ten years. The lowest recorded tem- 

 perature this year was 53° F., at 3 a.m. of the 22d. 



The rainfall of August, 1886, was also remarka- 

 ble. Although some rain fell on six days of the 

 month, the total amount was but .95 of an inch. 

 From this it will be seen that the month was a 

 very dry one. In but one year, 1881, since 1877, 

 has the rainfall been so small. In 1885, 5.67 

 inches fell ; and in the previous year, 1884, no 

 less than 7.90 inches is recorded. The mean for 

 ten years was 4.22 inches. July and August have 

 been very noteworthy for the small quantity of 

 rain which has fallen. 



ASSOCIATION OF OFFICIAL AGRICUL- 

 TURAL CHEMISTS. 



The Proceedings of the third annual convention 

 of this association, which was held in Washing- 

 ton on the 26th and 27th of August, have just 

 been issued as Bulletin No. 12 of the chemical 1 

 division of the department of agriculture. | 



The benefit which has been derived from these 

 meetings of the chemists of the country, who are 

 engaged in the analysis and control of commercial 

 fertilizers, has been very marked ; and the adop- 

 tion of a uniform oflScial method of working has 

 not only resulted in greater agreement among 

 official chemists, but has also, by informing the 

 analysts employed by those manufacturing ferti- 

 lizers, of the methods in use, brought about greater 

 harmony between the manufactui'ers and the 

 control stations. 



The results in this direction having been so sat- 



