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At the base of this house we found a servant’s closet withthe foul trou cle <K?’c&mdash;that is, no seat, but a small hole in thefloor communicating directly with the cesspool, no water,and of course no trap. In the master’s apartments theclosets had no water laid on ; and in the unlet apartmentsthe closets had been fouled by the workmen and nevercleansed. Indeed, it would have been difficult to cleanthem without borrowing some utensil to bring water in fromthe kitchen. From this high-class dwelling we went tovisit some small and cheap tenements in the FaubourgSt. Honore, close to the Church of St. Philippe du Roule.Here there had been cases of typhoid and of small-pox.On each landing there were four apartments and twoclosets. The latter had no trap, no valve, no water,and ventilated upon the staircase. A little hole fourinches square, protected by an iron grate clogged with coh-webs, opened into the yard, but could scarce have providedfresh air. The closets were very foul, the walls bespatteredwith dried fsecal matter, the seats unapproachable, andthe space extremely restricted. It is impossible to con-

ceive how anyone with any sense of cleanliness could fre.quent such dark and unwholesome places. In several otherhouseswefoundthe closet windows opening into a small yard,three to four metres square, and facing, or at angles, withthe kitchen windows. Both being kept open, the closet airwas naturally attracted by the fire into the kitchen. Thiswas notably the case in the Rue d’Amsterdam, in a housewhere typhoid fever had manifested itself. The yard wemeasured was two by three yards square, and surrounded bywalls six storeys high. At the base of this shaft was anexceptionally foul closet and cesspool. On each of thesix floors a closet window opened within a couple of yardsfrom the kitchen window, and outside these kitchen windowshung several meat safes, protecting their contents from thesewer gas only by their surrounding wire gauze. When weconsider that it is in no wise the practice to disinfect thedejections from typhoid patients living in such houses asthese, it is not surprising that they should become permanentsources of infection.The fact is that Paris has become such a centre for

typhoid fever that the bulk of its inhabitants are, to a greatextent, inoculated by its germs, otherwise the consequencesof bad hygiene would be much more serious. As Dr. Bou-chardat remarked in his address to the Academy of Medi-cine : " We can acclimatise ourselves to the ferment of

typhoid fever. We can suffer from some slight form of thismalady which passes unnoticed, or by dint of successiveabsorption of the morbid ferment, that may be compared topreventive inoculations, acquire a pathological cuirass, andin either case immunity, or at least relative, though notabsolute, immunity becomes the law." Hence it is thatforeigners rather than Parisians supply the greater proportionof victims to these epidemics of typhoid fever, a result whichassuredly is most discreditable to the French sanitaryauthorities. Nor is typhoid the only danger. The otherzymotic diseases, and notably diphtheria, have been in-creasing, the deaths from the latter having doubled withinthe last twelve years.With a view to improving the drainage of Paris, a com-

mittee has been appointed to visit several capitals of Europe,and notably London. There is much talk of abolishing allthe cesspools and draining direct into the sewers; ofadopting, in a word, the English system. But for itssuccessful application, English cleanliness and Englishsanitary knowledge are absolutely necessary, and thesefundamental qualities are lamentably wanting in the Frenchcapital. To plce all the houses in communication withthe sewers without any knowledge as to trapping andventilating drain-pipes would increase the danger, par-ticularly as there is not sufficient water, and the Parissewers are in many instances not self-cleansing or effectivelybuilt. As a counter-proposal, the adoption of M. Berlier’ssystem of pneumatic drainage is advocated by many warmpartisans, notably Professor Brouardel and the majority ofthe Paris papers. On the abstract merits of this system wewould not pronounce a definitive opinion, but it is certainlyinfinitely preferable to the English system badly applied.Its great advantage for Paris lies in the fact that its effectiveworking would not depend either on the municipalauthorities or on the care and intelligence of the inhabitantsThe apparatus works automatically and withdraws bypneumatic suction or vacuum both vegetable and animalwaste from the hou-e9. It has now been in successfuloperation at the barracks of the Pepinierefor many months ;

and, though 100U soldiers are quartered here, not one case oftyphoid fever has occurred among them. These are the onlybarracks in Paris which have escaped the ravages of thepresent epidemic. On the other hand, at the Gros Caillou,at the Chateau d’Eau, the barracks have been the principalcentres of disease, and the prevalence of typhoid feveramong French soldiers has become notorious. Dr. Rocharddescribes one epidemic which attacked 1000 soldiers out of4000 in the space of two months, killing 25 per cent. of thesick. To have saved a barrack in Paris, at such a season,from the fever is no 8light testimony to the sanitaryproperties of the pneumatic system of drainage. By itsintroduction, houses would be utterly risconnected from thesewers, which themselves would be purified by the fact thatthey would only receive rain-water. Cesspools, at the sametime, would be abolished. Slops and house-drains would allbe conducted to the powerful iron rect ivers placed in the cellarsor the old and cleansed cesspools. Here a strong suction, pro.duced by steam power, draws several miles out of Paris all theinj urious substances. Instead of a pressure of sewer gas forcingits way into the houses, the pressure or suction is from thehouses towards the exhaust cylinders. The manure of Pariswould be preserved and available for agricultural purposes ;but, above all, the system would not require, in its applica-tion, the display of any intelligence or sanitary knowledgeon the part of the population. This is our reason for bring-ing it so prominently forward. Our knowledge of sanitarymatters in England is by no means complete, but if we areto await till the education of French opinion is formed onthis subject, the present generation of adult English men andwomen must abandon all hope of being able to dwell in Pariswith any sense of security. No person of a likely age andsusceptible di-position can now visit the gay and beautifulcity., the holiday resort of the world, the centre of civilisation,as Victor Hugo would have us believe, without incurring agrave danger of contracting an acute form of zymotic disease.

THE INQUEST ON DR. EDWARDES.

AN inquiry into the circumstances attending the death,by his own hand, of Dr. Wiliiam Whitfield Edwardes ofHounslow, was opened on Saturday last by Dr. Diplock,Coroner for West Middlesex, at the residence of the deceased.Mr. George Lewis, on behalf of the bereaved relatives,and Mr. E. Gladstone, on behalf of Dr. Michael Whitmarsh,partner of the late Dr. Edwardes, watched the case. Afterthe body had been viewed, Dr. Whitmarsh was called as thefirst witness. He stated the circumstances of his lastinterview with his late partner-an interview which, owingto a charge, afterwards withdrawn, made by a female

patient against the professional honour of Dr. Edwardes,and a wish expressed by Dr. Wbitmarsh for the retirementof Dr. Edwardes from the practice, was of a painfulcharacter. Some two hours after Dr. Edwardes had left forhis own home, a message was received by Dr. Whitmarshrequesting his presence, as Dr. Edwardes desired to see him.Not deeming it necessary to attend, Dr. Whitmarsh, at

eight o’clock, sent to know if Dr. Edwardes had, in accord-ance with arrangements made the previous night, gone toLondon. He then learnt that his partner was dead. Thenext witness was Mrs. Ada Edwatdes, widow of thedeceased. According to her evidence, her husband had beenmentally depressed for some time past, having been "de-ceived to a shocking extent" regarding the value of his sharein the practice. When he returned from Dr. Whitmarsh’s,on the evening of his death, he told her that it was the fact ofDr. Whitmarsh stating his intention of standing up againsthim instead of supporting him that caused him to breakdown. The witness then described he discovery of the body,the sending for medical assistance, and the finding of a.

bottle which had contained prussic acid on a table near thedeceased. A letter had been found, written by her latehusband to the Middlesex Mercury just before his death,which, after some discussion on the part of the coroner, legalattendants, and the jury, was read. Ir contained a solemnlyemphatic denial of the charge brought against him, whichthe writer, so s< on about to stand bffnre his Maker, attri-buted to the morbid imagination of a licentious-minded,hysterical woman." A prayer for a blessing on his wife, hislittle boys, and his mother, concluded the document. The

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written retraction of the charge above alluded to, which hadbeen signed in the presence of witnesses, was then askedfor ; but after taking the evidence of Dr. Ball, who attri-buted death to prussic acid, and spoke of the high respect inwhich the deceased was held in the neighbourhood, it wasdecided to adjourn the inquiry until Thursday. OIl thatday the written retraction was produced ; it was complete,and accompanied with an expression of regret on the part ofthose who had made the false charge. No material additionto the evidence already adduced had been forthcoming atthe time of our going to press. On Monday the funeral took place at Heston Cemetery,

and the opportunity was taken for a general display of sym-pathy with the bereaved relatives. The officers of the8th Middlesex Rifles, in which corps Dr. Edwardes was alieutenant, accorded military honours to the deceased; manyof the shops were closed, and the route to the tomb was linedwith sympathising spectators; wreaths and crosses were

placed on the coffin and three volleys fired over the grave.In the evening a mob, against which the police were quite powerless, assembled, and by means of stones and othermissiles destroyed every window in Dr. Whitmarsh’s house.Thee scenes of riot were continued during Tuesday andWednesday, although not to such an excess, the local policehaving been reinforced by a large body of mounted andother constables who kept unceasing and vigilant watch overthe residence; it is stated that at one time more than fortyconstables were located in the house to ensure its protection.The cause of this outburst of popular feeling is no doubt dueto the great popularity of Dr. Edwardes. Although onlyresident in the district for about twelve months he hadgained the esteem of almost all with whom he was broughtinto contact, his devotion to his profession and attention tothe poor being remarkable. He was a hard working* anddistinguished student of St. Mary’s Hospital, and beforeleaving that institution filled the post of principal obstetricphysician for the usual period of six months.

Public Dealth and Poor Law.LOCAL GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT.

REPORTS OF MEDICAL OFFICERS OF HEALTH.

Rochdale.&mdash;According, to the census of 1881 Rochdale hada population of 68.865 ; the birth-rate for that year has been30’2, and the death-rate 19’9 per 1000; the latter being so me-what less than the urban population for England and Wales.The infantile deaths under one year of age were at the rateof 13 8 per cent. of the births, a fact to be in the mainattributed to that absence of infantile diarrhoea for whichRochdale has long been noted, whilst many surroundingand very similarly circumstanced towns have suffered severely.The only infectious disease which was epidemic was emall-pox. As many as 496 cases were reported to Dr. J. Henry,the medical officer of health, and fifty-one fatal cases wereregistered. The epidemic continued over many months, andwe have recently referred to the inquiry made by Dr. ThorneThorne as to a special distvihution of the disease in the

neighbourhood of the old workhouse, which had been trans-ferred into a temporary hospital. Mr. Alderman Taylor, solong connected with the health department of the corpora-tion, issues a separate report as to the night soil depot.The number of so called Rochdale puls in use at the end of1881 was 10,182, and the quantity of artificial manure manu-factured was 552 tons. Fortunatelv also, the demand forthis manure equals the supply; the best possible test of itsvalue for agricultural purposes. Mr. Taylor foretells a

further improvement in connexion with this manufactureowing to a very clever invention of the manager, Mr.Haresceugh, by which increased efficiency and economy willbe ensured ; and he further suggests that the smallermortality of Rochdale, as compared with other Lancashiremanufacturing towns, is, at least in part, to be attributed tothe speedy and frequent removal of all excrementiousmatters from the vicinity of houses. This suggestion is ofspecial importance in connexion with the immunity ofRochdale from prevalences of infantile diarrhcea.

Salforcl.-Not only was the death-rate for Salford in 1881less than the average of that during many preceding years,

but the rate of decrease was in excess of that which obtainedin the neighbouring large towns. Dr. Tiltharc, however,cautions the corporation against a too hasty conclusion thatthis result is all to be attributed to improved sanitary cir.cumstances, and he proceeds at once to deal in detail withsome of the conditions which still operate injuriously uponhealth. Amongst these are the impurity of the atmosphereby reason of the smoke nuisance, which is the main factorin producing in Salford a death-rate from lung diseaseaveraging 598 per 100,000, as opposed to an average of 334in Mid-Cheshire. Next comes the brick-burning nuisance,as to which the by-laws are often violated. The faultysystem of excrement disposal and the practice of heaping upand storing midden-refuse come in, as in previous years, fora good share of condemnation. The tip nuisance is, how-ever, declared to be at an end, the Sanitary Committeehaving determined to carbonise all such refuse in a destructornow in course of erection. The typhus outbreak, whichcommenced in 1881, is reported to have ceaQed, small-poxhas been all but absent, and though scarlet fever has beenepidemic in several localities, yet its early suppression wasmaterially facilitated by the system of notification whichthe school authorities voluntarily carry out. The isolationof the infectious fevers has been effected both at the Wil-ton Hospital, which was provided by the corporation someyears ago, and at Monsal Hospital, with which Salford hasmade special arrangements, and during 1881 the number ofpersons isolated was 171. The population of Salford in themiddle of 1881 was 177,755, the general mortality was atthe rate of 22 5 per 1000, and that of infants under one yearas high as 16’3 per cent. of the registered births. Thedescription of the sanitary work carried out during the yearshows that a vigilant eye is maintained over all that relatesto the health of the district. Amongst the more urgentrecommendations made by Dr. Tatham is the provision ofan efficient disinfecting stove. Originally a Nelson’s stovewas provided, but in Sdlford, as in other places, it has beenunsatisfactory in its working. Indeed, so many articleshave been destroyed in it that its use for clothing or

bedding of any value has had to be abandoned.Cork.&mdash;During the four weeks ending December 2nd 166

births took place, being equal to 27’5 per 1000. The deathsregistered amounted to 134, including 18 dying in the work-house, and therefore outside the borough. The annualdeath-rate per 1000 inhabitants was 22’4, but, deductingthose who died in the workhouse, the urban death-rate willbe 19’2.

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A special meeting of the Dudley board of guardians is tobe heid to consider the question of the overcrowding of theimbeciles at their workhouse. Mr. Longe, the Governmentinspector, states that the beds of the patients touch eachother in the wards, in violation of all the rules of health anddecency.

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VITAL STATISTICS.

HEALTH OF ENGLISH TOWNS.

In twenty-eight of the largest English towna 4921 birthsand 4036 deaths were registered during the week endingthe 30th ult. The annual death-rate in these towns, whichhad been equal to 23’4, 26’9, and 27’6 per 1000 in the threepreceding weeks, declined again last week to 24’9. Thelowest death-rates in these tuwns last week were 16’9 inPortsmouth, 17’1 in Brighton, and 19’8 in Leicester. Therates in the other towns ranged upwards to 29 9 in Man-chester, 33’1 in Preston, 35 9 in Liverpool, and 37’7 inSunderland. The deaths referred to the principal zymoticdiseases in the twenty-eight towns were 4t0, and fewer thanin any previous week of the year; 92 resulted from scarletfever, 90 from whooping-cough, 88 from measles, 74 from"fever" (principally enteric), 43 from diarrhoea, 17 fromdiphtheria, and 6 from small-pox. The lowest death-rates from these zymotic diseases occurred in Brighton,Oldham, and Bradford ; and the highest in Liverpool andSunderland. Scarlet fever caused the greatest fatality inSunderland and Nottingham ; whooping-cough in Ply monthand Preston ; measles in Birkenhead, Cardiff, and Sunder-land ; and " fever " in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Derby,Liverpool, and Sunderland. The 17 deaths from diphtheriain the twenty-eight towns included 12 in London and 3 inManchester. Small pox caused 2 deaths both in Londonand Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and 1 both in Nottingham and