Cooley's Cyclopædia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume II - Arnold James Cooley; Richard Vine Tuson

In the very badly ventilated Leopoldstadt, in Vienna, 378 prisoners out of 4280 died between the years 1834 to 1847, or at the rate of 86 per 1000; and out of these as many as 220, or 51·4 per 1000, died from phthisis. Contrasting

with this the rate of mortality from the same disease in the well-ventilated House of Correction in the same city, we learn that out of 3037 there died in five years (from 1850-1854) 43, or 14 per 1000, and of these 24, or only 7·9 per 1000, died from the same disease.

The great prevalence of phthisis that used to prevail, not only in our army, but in the principal European ones, has been clearly shown to have been referable to the overcrowding and defective ventilation of the barracks. And this applied equally to the barracks of military stations possessing such mild and genial climates as Gibraltar, Malta, Ionia, Jamaica, Trinidad, Bermuda, &c.[100]

[100] Dr Parkes.

The sanitary Commissioners appointed some years back to inquire into the prevalence of consumption amongst our soldiers, came to the conclusion that the foul atmosphere of the barracks was the cause of it. The correctness of our decision has been corroborated by the greatly diminished number of deaths which have followed the improved ventilation in our barracks, recommended by the Commissioners. At the present time, owing to those hygienic improvements, the mortality from phthisis is not more than half what it was in our army prior to 1867. The same satisfactory results have been obtained by the introduction into the French barracks of similar sanitary improvements.

Animals are affected in precisely the same manner as human beings. Thus, it is that phthisis attacks monkeys when shut up in badly ventilated buildings, and cows confined in close sheds.

After these statements we shall be prepared to find that indoor trades and occupations swell the bills of mortality from phthisis much more than those carried on in the open air. That this is the case is shown by the following table:

—

Deaths from Phthisis at Victoria Park Hospital, showing the influence of Occupation.

Cause of Death.	Ages under											Totals.
Cause of Death.	20.	25.	30.	35.	40.	45.	50.	55.	60.	65.	Not stated.	Totals.
Female lives	45	41	25	15	12	3	1	1	...	...	...	143
Indoor occupation	32	31	30	24	15	9	5	...	...	...	4	150
Males Mixed occupation	10	7	7	5	4	3	4	...	...	...	1	41
Males Outdoor occupation	9	21	21	13	12	11	8	2	1	...	2	100
	——	——	——	——	——	——	——	——	——	——	——	———
	96	100	83	57	43	26	18	3	1	...	7	434
The same reduced to a per centage.
Female lives	32	28	18	10	8	2	1	1	...	...	...	100
Indoor occupation	21	21	20	16	10	7	3	...	...	...	2	100
Males Mixed occupation	24	17	17	12	10	7	10	...	...	...	3	100
Males Outdoor occupation	9	21	21	13	12	11	8	2	1	...	2	100
	——	——	——	——	——	——	——	——	——	——	——	———
	86	87	76	51	40	27	22	3	1	...	7	400