334 



DR R. E. SCOEESBY- JACKSON 



II. — The Influence of Weather upon Mortality from Special Causes. 



It must be quite obvious that to have repeated the foregoing inquiries \vith each 

 class of disease, or still more so with each individual disease, would have carried 

 me far beyond the limits of a single paper. The tables and diagrams together, 

 however, are sufficient to enable any one desirous of information concerning 

 the influence of weather upon mortality from any of the diseases there given, to 

 comprehend readily enough the relationship which the several meteorological data 

 bear to the death-rates. All that I can venture to do with the remainder of the 

 collected facts will be to trace out the more apparent bonds of union between the 

 weather and the several diseases ; and I may mention, in passing, that the reason 

 why I have added to the titles and diagrams a representation of the deaths from 

 all sijedfied causes, is simply to afford an opportunity of determining the propor- 

 tion which the death-rate from an}^ individual disease bears to the entire mor- 

 tality ; this could not have been ascertained by a reference to the death-rate from 

 all causes, since that comprises many deaths from causes which are not stated, 

 and which might therefore be attributable to any of the diseases in the Registrar- 

 General's Schedule. Following the order in M^hich the diseases are arranged in 

 the tables, I shall confine my remarks either to the class of diseases or to one of 

 the representative diseases, as seems to promise most interest. 



A. The Influence of Weather upon Mortality from Zymotic Diseased. 



This class of diseases may be dismissed with very few remarks ; not because 

 the inquiry is either uninteresting or unimportant, but because it is very complex, 

 and would require more time than can at present be afforded to treat it as it 

 deserves. I shall speak of zymotic diseases only as a class. 



The influence of season in determining the death-rate from these disorders may 

 be inferred from the following order of months, the ratio of deaths being that 

 afforded by the averages of the six corresponding months as in Table C. 



Month. Mortality. 



January, 670 



November, 65"8 



December, 64*7 



February 60 3 



October, 59-0 



March, 55-3 



Mean, .... 



Montli. Mortality. 



September, 54-7 



July, 50-7 



April, 50-3 



August, 47'5 



May, 450 



June, ........ 44-7 



. . 55-42. 



Perhaps the questions of greatest interest with respect to zymotic diseases are 

 those which refer to the mean temperature, mean height of the barometer, direc- 

 tion and force of wind, and the rainfall. 



