﻿IN 
  RELATION 
  TO 
  DIET. 
  605 
  

  

  residual 
  salt 
  was 
  dissolved 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  quantity 
  of 
  water 
  ; 
  proving 
  how 
  there 
  had 
  

   been 
  a 
  loss 
  of 
  the 
  iodine 
  in 
  the 
  operation 
  of 
  boiling 
  ; 
  a 
  loss 
  chemists 
  are 
  familiar 
  

   with, 
  of 
  substances 
  in 
  themselves 
  not 
  volatile, 
  carried 
  off 
  suspended 
  in 
  aqueous 
  

   vapour. 
  

  

  In 
  stating 
  the 
  comparative 
  exemption 
  of 
  fishermen 
  and 
  their 
  families 
  from 
  

   pulmonary 
  consumption, 
  as 
  indicated 
  by 
  the 
  Plymouth 
  Dispensary 
  return, 
  I 
  have 
  

   not 
  given 
  the 
  total 
  number 
  of 
  this 
  class 
  of 
  persons. 
  This 
  deficiency 
  I 
  am 
  now 
  

   able 
  to 
  supply. 
  From 
  information 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  received, 
  for 
  which 
  T 
  am 
  indebted 
  

   to 
  the 
  Registrar-General, 
  it 
  would 
  appear, 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  total 
  male 
  population 
  of 
  

   Plymouth 
  (24,605), 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  fishermen 
  is 
  726, 
  exclusive 
  of 
  37 
  pilots. 
  This 
  

   large 
  proportional 
  number 
  renders 
  the 
  fact 
  of 
  their 
  exemption 
  the 
  more 
  remark- 
  

   able, 
  and 
  especially 
  comparing 
  them 
  with 
  a 
  class 
  of 
  the 
  population, 
  altogether 
  

   different 
  in 
  their 
  habits, 
  and, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  presumed 
  in 
  their 
  diet, 
  using 
  fish 
  only 
  

   occasionally 
  when 
  abundant 
  and 
  cheap, 
  — 
  these 
  are 
  the 
  cordwainers 
  or 
  shoemakers, 
  

   whose 
  number 
  altogether 
  (males) 
  is 
  608. 
  Now, 
  on 
  consulting 
  the 
  Dispensary 
  

   return, 
  I 
  find, 
  that 
  the 
  total 
  number 
  of 
  this 
  class 
  that 
  have 
  died 
  of 
  the 
  disease 
  

   under 
  consideration, 
  has 
  been 
  37, 
  viz., 
  19 
  males 
  and 
  18 
  females 
  ! 
  

  

  Reflecting 
  on 
  the 
  fact, 
  that 
  iodine 
  has 
  been 
  detected 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  trials 
  I 
  have 
  

   hitherto 
  made 
  on 
  sea-fish, 
  it 
  seemed 
  probable 
  that 
  guano, 
  considering 
  its 
  origin, 
  

   would 
  not 
  be 
  destitute 
  of 
  this 
  substance 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  experiments 
  has 
  been 
  

   confirmatory 
  ; 
  using 
  the 
  test-method 
  noticed 
  above, 
  a 
  distinct 
  indication 
  of 
  its 
  

   presence 
  was 
  obtained, 
  both 
  in 
  the 
  instance 
  of 
  the 
  Peruvian 
  and 
  African 
  guano, 
  

   the 
  only 
  two 
  I 
  have 
  yet 
  tried. 
  

  

  Lksketh 
  How, 
  June 
  1, 
  1853. 
  

  

  