New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-09-16
INFANT MORTALITY.
LECTURE BY DIR. STEPHEN ROGERS.

LECTURE III DIX. oIEfhEN HOtrbkS'
Dr. Stephen Rogers delivered lecture on
Infant Mortality" at tho College OF Physicians and
Surgeons at the OF Fourhave. aud Twonythird
st. on Monday evening The audience was composed
almost entirely OF medical men, who manifested great
interest the address. The Doctor commenced by an
alusion 60 the heated OF July and August remark
ing effects in tho destruction OF human and brute
life were extraordinary than before IN this
city more especially with respect to nfanie mortality
Heat destroys the life Of infants by first
directly depressing their vital forces, so that
il Of a low stamina they sink moro or less
rapidly, and die with sufficient local dis
ease account for dissolution; 1t produces cutaneous
diseases which poison unto death the already en-
bled frame OF the little sufferers. and it indirectly de-
sroys It's health and life by It's deter Grating effect upon
much NJ the food given the infant rhs'he' '"""h
from its mothers breast from the markets. In re gard
10 malaria influences OF mortality the speaker
said that by far too much emphasis Is gwen by our
health officers these aerial arising from uuclean
streets, boiling Establishments, &c, because by so
%Sr ee pae SetOGS u es r The ' @Sy
ample OF this practice lie quoted letter OF the Register
Of July IA, regarding the increased mortality of that
week. and another Of July u the same theme Dur
inc the week ending the last date the mortality Of the
rs p0rulati0n wlnc in tic Nineteenth Ward IL was at
the rate Of every ZOO The Seventeenth Ward very
which oncfourth were said TO from cholera irfautuu
or the proportion of infants who died IN the Twenty
second Ward nothing was definitely known 10y
him. hut it was fHr to infer from re-
II =.
Those parts OF the twentieth ad Iweny-secohd wards
bounded by Thirty fourth ana Fittynnhsts Sixthaye.
ana the North River, and the Nineteenth Ward are. he
said, the most fatal uptown localities for Infants The
Twenty first Ward, on the contrary, had comparatively
lows mortality during the heated period Il In 1900 of It's
popuatou but I'm this case. also, the per cenage Of n
fauts was not given. For the weeks ending Juy4 and
H. the deaths rated IN the Fourth hand sixth Wards
amounted about ia LOO OF their population, white
for ending July Is IT reached at least in GsO
period the Tenth Ward had an increase OF so per
cent The speaker here quoted the Registrars letter ~
r,,f,, in lgi Tho EouT VI nd rtg
are spoken OF beng more clearly than In any sum
mer FOR 20 years, and remarked that IL subject OF
regret that the cleanliness OF these Wards did not
them during the hot weather from mOrtnary in
statistics here followed During the week ending July
the mortality in the city u children under two years Of
aye was about JO Der cent; for the weeks ending July II
and rs rose TO 60 Der cent Of the total deaths In The city
and for the weeks ending July Is and Aug II was nearly
20 per cent But FOR the fact that during week end
ing July ls there 32 deaths from sunsrokc the per
ctutage OF Infant mortality would have risen In that
week 10 at least 20 Thus the speaker continued infant
mortality with the solar heat and caused from 80
70 per OF AL the deaths then occurring He argued
from figures that carboc acid and chloride Of lime
were not all that required to prevent the augmen
tation OF infant adult mortality in this city. All
stenches do not necessarily generate disease as the re-
show that the house localities not partcu
larry insalubrOus, nor were the soapboilng regions
subject great OF mortality during the
hot weather, as were many localities far removed from
these socaed npisanees Ihe Doctor sald that ms In
taow.rendering, aud kindred occupations bad convinced
him that the popular belief In regard TO the unhcallh
ness OF these empoyments was unfounded In TACT TIC
said that II steDches necessarily no1ious, OF
agreeable OdOrs arising reckn2 heaps OF chloride OF
lime and 10 the fumes Of carhonc acid, with which the
sanitary nuisance, which many Of our citizens would
gladly see abated The Doctor suggested that If the
health authorities would less OF these disnfecting
agents and more CrOt0n water the city would be rem
dcred quite healthful, and decidedly more agreeable
The mortality in the Twentieth and Twcnty-secOnd
Wards he sad averaged % and IS week respectively,
in the Winter months, and 80 and Ga IN July last The
Twenty -secOnd Ward has a mortality much below the
general average IN Winter and much above ii in sum-
ner. The speaker accounted for this heavy Summer
fV nv At eff
tending from Fifty nnthst and Flfthave, west and
south.weslerly direction to Thirtyio1Ilhst aud the
Hudson River is IN great part covered with the most
wretched shanty haGitatons and twostory wooden
houses These regions are very badly snppled with
All excuse for personal uncleanllness ard be-
among the children there confined The same statement
made in regard TO large portions Of the Nineteenth
ward The chief destroying element at work among The
infants OF these localities the summer heat THE shan
ties and miserable houses being confined that the fresh
outside air could their inmates that the in
badtants during weather, could only obtain that
sleep which is super1nduced by positive exhaustion TO
these and other Of infant mortality he added the
Influence OF the heat sourng the milk and spelling the
pap and other food so generally given to infants. lie
continued "These the prime causes which raise the
mortality rate from less than 10 per 1000 per year of the
population Of the Twenty second Ward during the Win
Tor discussed many points connected with the NOR
tality Of infants Ia this city and Brooklyn,
remarng that had one 1.-THE OF the money spent FOR dis
iufeetants for the removal OF sOcaed nulsances and
for The practically useless fire escapes been invested IN
building proper dwellings in place OF the wooden shan
ties above mentioned, many lives would have been
saved While discussing the subject OF infant diet the
doctor denied tho statements which have long been
rent in regard 10 the bad quality Of the milk brought 10
this city saying that probably the best and purest
furnished 10 any large city in the world. As proof OF
tile increase or infantile mortality during the
past four years the speaker cited the following
figures The deaths from cholera nfantum during the
months OF July and August, 1864 numbered 93i; In the
corresponding months Of 1865, 1904; in 1866 noy were
273; in 1851 they ll22 and for the period Of
1868 they 1I70showing OF co per cent
the deaths from that In 1864 and moro than G
per cent those OF the great cholera year. 1866 He
asserted that very great increase Of heat humidity Is