New-York daily tribune., 1855-08-24
Aew.Uork Daily @ribm,re
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
CITY MORTALITY: ITS CAUSES, AND MEDI-
CAL PRACTITIONERS.


To me Editor Of The n. y. Tribune.
SIR: Ny attention being called to the subject OF
City mortality by the article in your paper Of the 18th
inst am anxious to present few remarks which, If
carried out would greatly tend to increase our knowl
edge both Of diseases and their predsposng causes,
and might substantially diminish both. The usual
weekly report Of the City Inspector for the week last
past exhibits an increase of thirteen deaths those
Of the previous week and large decrease when com
pared with that Of last year. These reports are evil
denty made up with the greatest care, and show, so
far as practicable the actual Of the deporabe
mortality in this City, They are designed no doabt to
give full and correct report OF its health aud un-
healthiness, whether under the baeful influence OF
some prevailing epidemic or by the ordinary diseases
peculiar and incident TO the season. They set forth
clearly and in condensed form the names of the
various malades but utterly fail in eny synopsis OF
the predifposng and immediate causes, and thus the
public ard the profession are unable TO devise tho
means by which the evil might be conquered. The
object for which these weekly publications were dl-
rected to be made seems 10 have been overlooked or
entirely neglected We do not desire TO know the
number of the dead but from the experience of their
cases to find of pr caution and safety for the
living No thorough investigation OF the predisposing
causes and treatment of these cases has to our knowi
edge been yet 80 much as attempted The localities
are not set forth their cleanliness filth or sewer
age not once 80 much az alluded to- No mention is
made of the various and conflicting schools Of med-
cine under whose medication the patients died, nor
can we tell whether Homeopathy, the water treat
ment, the old school mercural doses, or the
new school progression practice is responsible for the
alaI ming deaths. The medical profession, though
wanting in neither talent, zeal or experience regard
this evil AS ncurabe, or otherwise look on It with ln
difference. They have proposed no safe, simple
and efficient testment; though for Summer com
plants specific therapeutic remedies have been dlscov
cred and are well known TO all who have studied ead
are well yersed in the science of medicine. No new
Nat 10 prpcQ
healtb the filthy, the market fruit as un
ripe the houses i'll ventilated though we courted
tie yellow fever now raging in Virginia), or some
other plague and pestence 10 come up and VISIT u.s.
Js it not difficult 10 comprehend how such stod and
suicidal apathy should prevail among an ,nteisens n
nearly inconcevable that they should weekly the
disproport0n of Deaths doiDgs' between human
ty Of various ages, and still neglect any precau-
tonary measures for the preservation OF their chi-
dren and their youth Let this fact be made known,
that the ratio between the deaths of infants and adults
is as four to one in other words fourhtths OF the
deaths which occurred ast week were among children
of tender years. This is solitary instance OF the
vast number of children who die weekly III TINS Cly,
and In the immense majority of instances we lind some
common durable disease assigned as the cause OF
death. The amount OF mortality among our yonth Is
wholly unaccOuDtabe, under the supposilon OF cor
rect or unening pathology; the mahgnlty oil the as
eases assigned IS by no means equai 10 te iho' AMY
superinduced.
Shall we forever regard the sad havoc that is thus
made among the helpless and the innocent win hui-
ftrepcel Are there means aecerained ana clearly
defined by which tho health of ou children in this Clty
can BE- ameioraiod If not securodl An inquiry into
the course OF medication pursued In every instance
mis- b probably deveope sufficient cause for this IN,
creased mortality. We might find that some had
passed away without the of nurse or physician,
and That othcrs in addition to the pognancy of their
complaints had to contend with the noslrums admin
isert by some pretentous quaek, unable 10 form
correct or even proximae diagnosis OF the disorder he
undertook TO heal.
In behalf of the interests of the public in The name
of charity ard in justice to the regular physicians,
NAV we not ask that the Inspector furnish us each
week with statistics as to the medication or pon-reat-
ment of all cases resulting in death Moreover, as
there are various schools of regular pTac ioners, let
hun name the school to which the attendant pracii-
tione belonged. Let thorough Investigation be
made into hoso facts and the failure Of certain sys-
tens of medication, and the increase of mortality
will no moro be unOccountabe or unacoounted for.
We would suggest that i'll these bills of mortality the
facts Of each case should be set forth under something
ike tue following headings so that we might know
what localities as well esculents and protesting
v,o, icol man IN avoid.