New Observations, Natural, Moral, Civil, Political, and Medical, on City, Town and Country Bills of Mortality.; With an Appendix on the Weather and Me (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1750 Excerpt: ...make so large an Addition to their Buryings, what must the other Hospitals, Nunneries, &c. make? What a sorry Figure would their other grand Bill make, in Comparison of London. 'Tis not at all surprizing that either French, or frenchisied Dutchmen, should be out of Humour with Sir William Petty's Essays; for he charges the Parisians with being mewed up and crambed together, with Poverty and Beggarlinefe, since 200s the Sick in Paris prefer going into Hospitals, for one in London. He therefore blames either their Situation, Badness of their Air, Inhumanity of their Physicians, in not duely attending the sick Poor, or the Unskilfulness of their Surgeons; since above i4th die out of their Hospitals, and scarce 1-50th Part die out of the London Hospitals. And since such Numbers die out of the Hotel de Dieu, they die not by natural Necessity, but by the bad Administration of that Hospital. That fewer die out of the most poor and wretched Hospitals in London, than out of the best (viz. La Chariti) in Paris $ and that the poorest People in London have better Accommodations in their own mean Houses, than the French have in their best Hospitals ip Paris. He He computes the French King's yearly Loss of 3,506 Subjects (valuing them only at 60/. per Head, the common Price of Algerine Slaves, ) to be 210,360 Pounds Sterling; or 252,432 French Livres; all which, he fays, might be saved by encreasing the Fund of that Hospital, (See his two Essays on the People of London and Paris, printed in 1687.) If all this move not French, or frenchified Choler, they deserve to pass for good-natured People. Tho' I readily agree with Kerfleboom, about the Dignity and Usefulness of JDavenanl's Observations on King's Bills of Morrality; yet I must dissent from him, as to the Justness ..