128 J. H. CARDEW. 
in his excellent work on sanitary engineering, made an 
estimate of the value accruing from sanitary services, and 
it may prove interesting to quote from him. He says, 
“‘An estimate of the probable effect of the sanitary works 
can be propounded in this way :— 
First, the saving in the cost of funerals, inclusive of 
mourning and fees, which upon an average may be set 
down at £5 each. 
Secondly the saving by reason of the escape from sickness, 
with its cost including the value of labour which is lost. 
To be upon the safe side, it may be taken, for every life 
saved by sanitary works, twenty-five persons would escape 
sickness and that £1 per case would represent but a 
moderate value of the result, including loss of time, physic, 
medical and other attendance. 
Thirdly, the value of the labour saved to the country by 
the prevention of premature death—for every adult female 
5s. per week, and for every adult male 10s. per week, or 
a mean of 7s. 6d. per week may be taken as the value of 
the labour over and above the cost of maintenance. 
By using the above figures in connection with the lives 
saved, we shall get the money value of the benefit conferred 
by the works. Taking the town of Croydon as an example, 
the average mortality for eight years, 1848 to 1855 inclus- 
ive, was 24°03 per thousand, and for the twenty years since 
1855 it has averaged 19°56 per thousand, shewing a saving 
of 4°47 per thousand per annum. The mean population for 
twenty years since 1855, when the sanitary works may be 
said to have been completed has been 43,912. 
By taking the mean saving of life 4°47 per thousand and 
multiplying it by the mean population, and again by the 
number of years, we get 43°912 x 4°47 x 203,936 lives 
saved; of this number about six-tenths would be adults or 
persons above the age of twenty, and probably one-tenth 
