REPORT ON THE PUBLIC HEALTH..
The Commissioners for inquiring into the state of the public health have forwarded to each of their assistants a copy of the following questions, with instructions to put them to all persons residing in, visiting, or passing through the district:—
Q. How are you?
This was the first and most obvious inquiry that the Commissioners ordered to be addressed to the population; but, as the returns were by no means so full as could be desired, it was determined to add another question, which should distinguish those cases in which disease has been inherited. For this purpose it was arranged that a second, or supplementary question should be framed, and the Commissioners drew up the following:—
Q. How is your mother?
To both these questions the Commissioners have received numerous replies, most of them short and concise; but it has been observed that considerable soreness has been exhibited in some cases, in which it has been thought advisable to ask for information under the second head. The habits, or, perhaps, the Commissioners ought rather to say, the prejudices of the English people are averse to any investigation into their domestic affairs; and many, when the health of their mothers has been inquired into, have manifested a spirit that the Commissioners have found very detrimental to the success of their efforts.
It occurred to the Commissioners that the chemists' shops in poor neighbourhoods would supply a vast mass of statistical information on the subject of the public health, and they have ordered a return of all the prescriptions made up within the last year, classing them under the two heads of cathartic and stimulant. The Commissioners have also ordered a schedule to be drawn up of all medicine-bottles purchased at the rag-shops, and have instructed their assistants to drain the contents of those which were not quite empty, for the purpose of ascertaining their properties, with a view to classing them under the heads already mentioned.
It has been clearly ascertained that, in nine cases of acute tooth-ache, in a very low neighbourhood, six "had it out," one applied a leech to the gum, and two did nothing. In a series of ninety-four cases of cough, it has been calculated that four ounces of Spanish liquorice were consumed, while about one moiety of the patients very patiently waited to see what time would do for them.
The Commissioners observe, with regret, that the ordinary sneeze has been lately prevalent, but it does not appear that any safe mode of treatment has yet been discovered for checking it. The Commissioners think it better to trust to nature in such a matter, though they have known the operation of drawing the finger smartly along the bridge of the nose, towards the forehead, sometimes successfully resorted to.
A Set-of China-1843.