Genre:

News-Commentary

Subjects:

Utilitarianism, Class, Nutrition, Health

    Begins with two long extracts describing the lavish winter clothes that are currently in fashion. Proceeds to a contrasting extract describing the tragic story of John Sutton, an unemployed wheelwright from London who died from starvation and exposure to the cold on his way to a workhouse. Regrets that this is 'one of four inquests in the same coroner's district on the same day, ending in the same concise verdict'. Notes that the guardians at St Pancras Poor Law Union were exasperated by their medical officer giving certificates describing the starvation of paupers. The writer suggests that guardians let their paupers starve in order to reduce poor-law rates.