80 
The deaths from dropsy, asthma, enteritis, scrofula, and 
hydrocephalus in the two ten-yearly periods were as fol- 
lows : — 
10 Years, 
1854—63, 
10 Years, 
1864—73. 
Dropsy 
Asthma 
Enteritis 
Scrofula 
Hydrocephalus 
82,085 
42,907 
32,842 
30,219 
73,620 
63,485 
36,173 
29,781 
28,223 
73,652 
261,673 
231,314 
The mean decrease in the rate of mortality from these 
diseases was 21*6 per cent, which represents a saving of 
63,886 lives. 
There is one disease which owing to the deaths caused by 
it not averaging 2,500 per annum during the last ten years 
has not been included in the list of those which have 
increased in fatality, but wdiich I think ought not to pass 
without notice. This is Nephria or Brights’ disease. In 
the ten years 1854-63 the deaths from it were 11,948; but 
in the following ten years they were 23,802. The increase 
in the death-rate from this cause therefore amounted to 76 '6 
per cent,, or more than double the rate of increase of 
bronchitis. 
It is very commonly supposed that all the zymotic 
diseases are preventible, or under the control of sanitary 
authorities, and it may be obiected that I have taken only 
the eight infectious diseases to test the utility of the sanitary 
measures which have been carried out during the last 20 or 
30 years. To meet this objection it may be well to state 
that the total number of deaths from all the zymotic diseases 
in the ten years 1854-63 was 973,248, and in the following 
ten years, 1,109,824. These numbers give an increase of 
1’08 per cent., and therefore if sanitary measures are to be 
tested by the impression they make upon the death-rate 
from the whole class of zymotic diseases it is evident that 
