A systematic inquiry into the practice of burying the dead within towns assesses sanitary risks from decomposing bodies, evaluates evidence about noxious emanations and specific disease transmission, and considers contamination of wells and the limits of deep burial. It documents health and social harms from delayed interment, the financial burdens and abuses of funeral expenses among the labouring classes, and consequent moral effects. The report compiles statistical returns, medical and civic testimony, and examples of foreign regulatory arrangements, and sets out practical recommendations for administrative, sanitary, and economic reforms intended to reduce hazards and lessen undue funeral costs.