New-York tribune., 1868-03-20
VITAL STATIS11CS or NEE. FORK.

SECOND ANNUAL REPORT OF THE REGISTER.
The official reports of the Board of Health,
being published State authority for the purpose Of set
ting forth the methods and results of the sanitary work
under the Boards direction should very clearly make
known to the public the nature OF such unygienic cond
tons may prevail III the metropolis AT the same time
they need to set forth In practical way the great primer
pies and applications OF sanitary science In the affairs OF
common life 1t Is this and excellent quality thal
has made the reports of John Simon chief medical officer
OF England and OF Dr. William Farr OF the Register-Ge
erals office, London, so permanently valuable, ana VIZ
has thoroughly aroused the whole population OF oie
Britain the Importance Of sanitary regulations m o'
les and towns
The Second Annual Report OF the Metropolitan D"Iiu
OF Health TO have been compiled Win soo ''icI
TO these wants OF the local government an" 'ie
ing public We do not dcprecate the great N'iue u 'A
volume when we say IL would have beeh sun more '"u
able If this purpose had been kept constantly ia VIC" III
every section of the report Having some time ago no
t;d Tho %, mart of this volume together with that por-
,i ,t nv tbe sanitary Superintendent, we pro-
fa refer 10 that by the Registrar of Vital Statistics
This par Of the appendix to the general report comprises
aa crr,lly prepared pages. Much OF this space Is
voted 10 the statistics uf the last but vastly more of
a tO an analysis OF The years STATISTICS ana experience
Fnrtnnatey for the Board and the public this portion OF
the volume is fully equal 90 the standard of excellence
and fitness furnished by the best English reports.
The predominant and inspiring purpose OF the
Bureau of Vital Statistics is that which called the Board
press constant warfare against the pcyenlable eanse'
of disease and premature Death Ibls purpose appears
to have inspired and shaped all the methods aud abQrs
Registrar and IL also To have been quite
contagious any malady IN has -t OF zymoics And
and vigorous labor, but have sway IN the Board and
among the people the same wholesome aud lieSayihg
the deadeSt OF its foes As the Board itself has stated
in It's general report the Registrar makes vital status
stances OF death together with the records and causes OF
diseases and cpidecs directly tributary 10 the practical
knowledge Of hygiene. aud to the application % lis p-
cpes" And the Registrar very concely enuncatcs the
first great object Of vital statistics, thus studied To bc The
i, THE prevention Of needless mortality" He cnforces
this view by saying that the prcyentabe causes Of die
gated and promptly met lev the applications Of sanitary
science, the time VIII come when the salrsuai,iS Oh
hygiene and the blessings OF healthy lie can pe enjoyed
by every class of the people
pursuance of this purpose the Registrar devote'
great deal OF space anay n the circumstances
that affect life and health they are found III various
parts Of the city. supporting hls views ln every case ~
fluctuations in the dCathTate. The lnethodlas the high
est sanction and Ia be popularity understood for
piled to such conditions as are proved TO be detrimental
10 health and dangerous Ia liie
CoMPARAIIvE nEAITHi ULNtss OF THE VARIOUS WARDS
on NEW-1OEk.
In the present state OF knowledge the death-rae of
amy citv accepted the best means of neasur
ing saluhry and sanitary condition la general terms
we may safely conclude that If the latter be- good the
former viii bo low The Fuc applies equally well To DIFF
fcrcnt Wards districts, of the same city and also 10
different periods OF the year. by comparing The months
clatcd the total populaiion or on the population 10y
sexes and thus be made to serve variety of putos'
The fluctuations of mortality serve theranithry oihcerp ps
the fluctuations aud changes IN the barometer serve ire
meteoroogist. The one indicates the natural causes
curatey indicates the local causes which influence The
public health To those engaged ~ the duty OF watching
the course Of dsea and cnlly such causes OF death
generally held to be preVontable thls ne OF n
mcricai statements is inyauabic. They rle "a warn
ing against needless sickness ana point out IN the most
unefriDg the limits aud nature 0 those places
wherein death secures his greatest harvest.
making correct estimate Of the public health 4 dis
tnguiscd hygicnist has very truly said that wherever
infants are most apt do there the adult population IL
most liable 90 I've sickly and yet II equally that
mproyrd sanitary conditions produce their hr-t effects
upon adult populations. This ao s readily accounted
for the latter have generally gcairr power 20 resist
cbdren under i've wear, OF axe in immense nulnbers
the ipianf rie a. a safr index OF the
general rate Gf mortality both IN the adnl ana the toa
population OF any city or district.
In calculations OF this Kind and IN order to guard
against error In sgSn 1 G S1t'Ia5go M @ nie I, P"Pus
bew-York have no means oi d,aHnR Win ln'5 sun sur
ject with the ACCURACY lh4t should lncro r. ~ an Surn
statistics Of life and death Tor me reason hni ne
IA manesty inaccurate now, whatever ny bo s.ld 0I
at the time II was taken sun u Is lioDahy ,tr n.e
figures should he taken as hey stnnd man 10
introduce danger BY an chort 10 crum'f 'he pr,
ent population ~ any ItaitiraI s,iemant thai
can from such data a. W hnse WI tlor.i0re
bc only approximately true but II VIII At the saIne TIME
be sufficiently accurate Tor ali practical on comparative
e foowiny table shows the desthrate npon the total
population the deathate OF infants IN the st yearot
e and the ratio that these 9esd 10 & ehn a"d Nc so
York winch have been selected Tor putports oi coIpa
son. because they believed to possess geer asETee
OF accuracy than Others which shO" more striking
difference. The figures for london are tle aterase Oh
,g. of eleven YEAR ANA mean population of 6l.coo
while those city are calculated upon thc NOR
tolitv of sE the proportion being estimated at 9o~
and The births at 5000 Based upon these data The com
parativc statistical statement r rend' lnt's' p.,o
Cni>s General deailIst' i'i'u' & a.',..'i'' hauo,
Lon %
ProvideIfce. .-...-.eO7o loo,5 iio6t
The comparison IL III no way favorable 10 orr.
But shall presently see that our city is r,centy made
rapid Improvement by cophf,oh o INC IA, yhar WI.
the one preceding It, Before entering upon TINS part OI
the report OF the Registrar of vital Statistics We desire
m ca attenton 10 the difference between the deathraes
OF the various wards OF New-1Ofk Cy ana 10 the ucbs
~ of their population In general terms may he said
that mortay increases and health and vitality diminish
IN exact proportion "a the increase OF ueha III he Pop
naton This proportion, however capable OF certain
gmctnations and NAV be- in and within
certain limits, very much inodned by hulan skl ana
forethoucht. This has been fuiy demonstrated by the
result of certain systematic sanitary improvements Doh
here and elsewhere. and i amply proved m lhe following
which bng population twice a. densey packed rs the
First Ward nevertheless has deahrate bnl le more
tban onebrd az great. therefore, evident that the
cause of this difference must be sought III another quar-
Ter comparison of the two wards IN me sanitary as
poets of drainage food supply, ana housing Oh me popu
i1ton together with the general cleanliness OF the one
and unmitIgabe founess and filth OF the Other sucenty
In the following table tho Registrar has combined GER
tain elements which show the comparative heathinhess
I'm the various wards al single glance Inc same table
also gives the total population; the per oentage OF
Id,n u,der five wears Of the rate TO the square
mile and the number OF square yards TO each person
The various calculations are based upon the census o
Issg and The superficial area oi cach ward lhe entire
area of the CITY 22G5 square miles ana ne population
TG sG beng a the rate O JL 90 To e square mile The
uhti'p'''O" - - Deaths
Percestsse Raio Of pop No of.qt A9r.si slcS vsla
~ popn'u uiaion Ia Jam, 10 death srlg
S. uudrg vs. az. nile each geon r-is .; s' % o..
wardI g.s5S2 iScs 'l%S aS-S gss ssS a7& i '.S S
iii. Ssc7 lOIj 22AG 1906 ~. $?
oc 10 Az 2fi 4n.ti 7U7