8                      CALCUTTA AND THE SUBURBS.

Memorandum by G. SAUNDERS, ESQ., Deputy Inspector-General of Hospitals, Presidency
        Circle,—(No. 885, dated Fort William, the 19th May 1872.)

SUBMITTED for the Inspector-General's information.

The Superintendent-General's report does not appear to call for special
notice in this office; I therefore forward it on without delay. There is, how-
ever, one paragraph (No. 5) which I will just allude to, in which Dr. Charles
refers to the influences which he considers to be in operation in determining
the liability to small-pox in a rapidly increasing population, apart from the
effects resulting from vaccination. His observations would seem to show that
such influences do exist; but our information is too incomplete to enable us to
determine to what extent climatic conditions are concerned in bringing about
such a tendency, and we have no reliable statistics which will enable us to ascer-
tain if, when the death-rate from small-pox is considerably and (as Dr. Charles
shows) unexpectedly lowered, a higher mortality from some other disease or
diseases may not be occurring which will still keep up the general death-rate
for the year at the normal standard.