THE AIR OF TOWNS. 



375 



We have not yet touched upon the evils attending fog. Apart from 

 the cost due to the extra daily consumption of gas, which is estimated 

 in London at 25,000,000 cubic feet, or £3,125 per annum, there is a 

 serious increase in mortality. The figures in the following table must 

 be taken with some caution, as it is recognized that a fall of temperature 

 increases the death rate; but there can be little doubt that the high 

 mortality due to respiratory diseases which occur with the advent of 

 fog must be in a large measure directly traceable to this cause: 



Sickness and mortality in Manchester during the months of December (1890), January, and 



February (1891). 



[Estimated population, 506,325.] 



Week 

 ending- 



Dec. 6 

 Dec. 13 

 Dec. 20 

 Dec. 27 



Jan. 3 

 Jan. 10 

 Jan. 17 

 Jan. 24 

 Jan. 31 

 Feb. 7 

 Feb. 14 

 Feb. 21 

 Feb. 28 



Weather 

 (Town Hall). 



Dry and cold, thawing 



Dry east winds, bard frost, some fog 



do 



Dry east winds, bard frost (dense 



fog three days) 



Overcast, severe frost 



Overcast (foggy two days) 



do 



Overcast 



Overcast (clear two days) 



...do 



Overcast 



Dull (dense fog two days) 



Clear (dense fog one day) 



Thermometer. 



Maxi- 

 mum. 



48.6 

 40.1 

 40.1 



40.8 

 41.8 

 40.8 

 43.8 

 48.7 

 51.6 

 51.4 

 50.1 

 52.7 

 56.7 



Mini- 

 mum. 



29.8 

 25.8 

 18.6 



15.8 



26 



21.7 



27.8 



17 



36 



34.7 



37.2 



27.6 



29 



Sickness 

 (weekly numbers) . 



General, 

 treated at 



public 

 expense. 



780 

 719 

 672 



448 

 691 

 801 

 853 

 708 

 818 

 802 

 866 

 787 

 929 



Infec- 

 tious, re 

 ported to 

 medical 

 officer. 



Deaths 

 ( weekly n'mb'rs) 



All 



causes. 



244 

 238 

 294 



393 

 328 

 341 

 336 



278 

 263 

 211 

 232 

 291 

 257 



Respira- 

 tory 



diseases 

 and 



phthisis. 



85 

 87 

 121 



204 

 165 

 153 

 156 



109 

 95 

 78 

 91 

 104 

 113 



I have little more to add. We have learned one important lesson, 

 viz, that dust is the mother of mist and rain. 



Looking at the statistics of the annual rainfall since the beginning 

 of the century, there appears to be a slight increase; but it may not 

 be due to an increase of solid matter in the air. Whatever the facts 

 may be, it is interesting to remember that dust is its own destroyer. 

 Rain, snow, and mist drag it to the earth, and so wash and purify the 

 air. Were it not so, though the ground would still receive its neces- 

 sary moisture, the greater part of the 20 tons of smoke daily sent into 

 the atmosphere of Leeds would continue to float forever in the ocean 

 of air around us. That atmospheric dust is gradually delivered back 

 to the earth is, however, poor consolation to us who suffer from town 

 fog. Just as well might we promise to the drowning man a future 

 abundant supply of air, for the lack of which he will in a few moments 

 have ceased to live. A lecture is neither a fable nor a fairy tale and 



