Page:Transactions of the Provincial Medical and Surgical Association, volume 1.djvu/45



In a densely populated and manufacturing country, where the elements for this sort of inquiry must abound almost more than in any other, it is somewhat marvellous that this should be the case, and particularly since the importance of the information to be obtained, has been often stated to the public. For it is but justice to the medical periodical press of this country to state, that its conductors have repeatedly endeavoured, but hitherto with not much success, to awaken the profession to the necessity of cultivating this branch of knowledge. The London Medical and Physical Journal, the London Medical Repository, and the Edinburgh Medical and Surgical Journal, have each of them, at times, loudly called for assistance of this kind; and in the latter Journal, particularly, several valuable contributions of this nature will be found, especially in the 67th number, where there is given a very able sketch of a plan for Memoirs on Medical Topography. The Editors of the Midland Medical and Surgical Reporter, also, have devoted attention to this point, and the fruits of it are important. The 1st, 2nd, and 4th numbers of that Journal, contain an account of the medical topography of Worcester; the 2nd and 3rd numbers, a topographical account of Birmingham, by Dr. Darwall; and another number, observations on the population returns of the manufacturing districts, by Dr. Walker, of Huddersfield. Nor must we forget to mention that, in one branch of this inquiry, there seems, of late, to be much promise of advancement. The work of Dr. Hawkins, on Medical Statistics, is, in itself, of great value. The learned author has