1867.] The Public Health. 69 



benefited pecuniarily by ten times the amount that has been spent on 

 sanitary measures. The difference between the mortality of the 

 present epidemic in Loudon, as far as it has at present gone, 

 and those of 1849 and 1854, is as follows : From the 22nd to the 

 45th week of 1849, 16,525 persons died of Cholera and Diarrhoea. 

 In 1854, 13,264 died in the same period, whilst in 1866 only 

 S/245 persons have died of these diseases. Taking the difference 

 between the deaths of 1854 and 1866 in round numbers, it shows 

 that 5,000 persons less have died. This is an enormous number, 

 and would amply repay all the expenditure that has been bestowed 

 on sanitary measures. 



There has been, however, no saving in the East of London, 

 where the projjortion of deaths to the population has been greater 

 than during the previous epidemic; thus clearly proving that 

 Cholera is not less virulent where neglect courts its attacks, than 

 it was during our earliest experience of its visitations. 



The district of London which is known as the East End will be 

 easily recognized by those who are not well acquainted with 

 London, as lying on each side of the Great Eastern Eailway. 

 Starting from the Shoreditch Station, we have on the left the 

 parishes of Shoreditch, Bethnal Green, and Old Ford, bounded 

 by the Victoria Park, and terminating at Stratford. On the right 

 of the line are Whitechapel, Stepney, Bow, and West Ham. 

 Farther to the right, is the Blackwall Eailway, which runs through 

 Shad well, Limehouse, and Poplar, to Blackwall. These last places 

 are on the Thames. It is this large area which was principally 

 attacked with Cholera. In some of the outlying districts the 

 population is sparse, but in many other districts it is dense, 

 poverty-stricken, and over-crowded. The neighbourhood of 

 the Docks is especially over-crowded, and abounds with low 

 public-houses, in which the poor and hard-working population 

 indulge in large potations of bad spirits and adulterated beer. 

 It is also this district that has felt, at present, little or no benefit 

 from the new and costly system of sewerage which is now so 

 materially improving the health of the rest of London. The one 

 great medical institution of the East End is the London Hospital, 

 which is situated in Whitechapel, and stands almost in the middle 

 of the district. The population of all the parishes of the East of 

 London may be roughly estimated at half-a-million. 



On Saturday, the 7 th of July, four deaths were registered from 

 Cholera in London, but not one of them occurred in the East. On 

 the 14th of July, 32 cases were registered, and of these, 20 

 occurred in the East. It is interesting to observe that these cases 

 did not occur in a batch at one spot, but were distributed over the 

 whole district. Thus there was 1 case in Shoreditch ; 2 in Bethnal 

 Green ; 1 in Whitechapel ; 1 in Stepney ; 2 in Limehouse ; 1 in 



