308 



DR R. E. SCORE SBY- JACKSON 



mortality ; and contrariwise, seasons which may be somewhat remarkable for the 

 general health of the public, may, by their influence upon one or two classes 

 present a high death-rate. It is a very difficult matter to obtain accurate statistics 

 of the prevalence of disease over a large community. After collecting a mass of 

 statistics of disease from several dispensaries and hospitals, with a view of com- 

 paring the rate of morhility with the rate of mortality as given in this paper, I 

 was obliged, after much labour, to abandon the morhility statistics, as next to 

 worthless. Therefore this paper points to disease only through mortality. 



If we turn to Table A, and regard the position of the months in the several 

 sections, we shall find that while certain of the months are widely distributed 

 through the column, others are arranged more compactly ; but in no instance are 

 the six corresponding months of the different years encompassed by one section of 

 the column. If we apply to the several sections (from above downwards) respec- 

 tively, the names maximum, major, minor, and minimum of mortality, and 

 arrange under each title the number of corresponding months found in the section, 

 we shall at once see how many of the years approached to uniformity of mortality, 

 and how many were exceptional. 



Month. 



Maximum 

 Mortality. 



Major 

 Mortality. 



Minor 



Mortality. 



Minimum 

 Mortality. 



January, 



February, . 

 March, 



. . . 4 

 . . . 3 

 . . . 4 



1 



3 



1 



1 

 1 



... 



April, . . 

 May, . . 

 June, 



. . . 2 



2 

 3 



2 

 2 

 4 



i* 



2 



July, . , 





1 



2 



3 



August, 

 September, . 

 October, 





1 



4 



5 

 5 



2 



November, . 



. . 1 



5 





• • • 



December, 



. . 4 



1 



i' 



... 



Tota 



il, 18 



18 



18 



18 



This table shows us the distribution of the months, but not their order as 

 determined by an average of the six j^ears ; for this we must look to Table C, and 

 taking from it the means of the several columns, showing the mortality from all 

 causes during the six years, we shall find the order of the months to be as 

 follows : — 





Month. 



Death-rate. 





Month. 



Death-rate. 





( January, 

 -< February, 

 ( March, 



. 265-3 





f May, 

 -< June 

 ( July, 



. 219-5 



Maximum, 



. 257-4 



Minor, 



. 208-6 





. 249-8 





. 204-5 





( December, . 



. 247-9 





( October, 



. 198-2 



Major, . 



\ April . . 



. 242-8 



Minimum, 



\ August, . 



. 189-4 





( November, . 



. 237-1 

 Mean 2 



25-7 



( September, 



. 187-7 



