ON THE INFLUENCE OF WEATHER UPON MORTALITY. 309 



If we revert to the previous table, we find that January, March, and December, 

 have a like distribution over the maximum, major, and minor sections, the deter- 

 mining years being in the maximum, and an exceptional year in each of the two 

 following sections, and we might have expected that these months would all 

 have preceded February, which only contributes three years to the maximum 

 section ; but in the latter table we find February in its true place, taking prece- 

 dence of March and December. This arises from the exceptional years of the 

 latter months having a much lower rate of mortality than any of the Februaries. 

 Before proceeding to examine the meteorological data in detail, we have here an 

 opportunity of testing the influence of weather in a general way. If the weather 

 had anything to do with the placing of the exceptional years, we shall expect 

 to find that in the months of January, March, and December, those years which 

 contribute to the major and minor sections will be more temperate than those 

 whose months enter into the maximum section. In the case of November, 

 severity of weather ought to characterise the exceptional year, and there ought, 

 moreover, to be some marked peculiarity in the meteorology of the exceptional 

 August. It will be unnecessary to test the other months at this stage. 



We begin with January, and instead of quoting figures, let us take the general 

 remarks contained in the meteorological reports as our guide. The four Januaries 

 of the maximum section are those of 1861, 1862, 1860, and 1857, in the descend- 

 ing order of their mortality ; the exceptional January in the major section is that 

 of 1859 ; that in the minor section, the January of 1858. The relations which 

 the months of the different years bear to each other, will be still better under- 

 stood in this form : — 



Year. 



1861, 

 1862, 

 1860, 

 1857, 

 1859, 

 1858, 



Maximum. 



Major. 



Minor. 



Mortality 



Mortality 



Mortality 



3041 



. . . 



... 



296-6 



... 



... 



280-8 



s •• 



... 



253-2 



... 



... 



Mean 265-3. 



243-4' 



214-0 



January 1861. — (I quote from the Meteorological Reports) " From these 

 returns we gather that the month of January was still, like so many of the 

 preceding ones, below the average in temperature, though in a less degree ; the 

 barometrical pressure was unusually high ; but otherwise there are no remarkable 

 differences in the other meteorological elements." Dr Stark says of the same 

 month, — " The intensely cold weather which set in about Christmas, and, after 

 a partial intermission, recurred during the earlier part of January, exhibited the 

 usual effect of low temperature in this country, in largely increasing the number 

 of deaths." 



January 1862. — Meteorological Report : " From these returns we gather that 



