New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-08-05
THE HEALTH OF NEW-YORK
COMPARIsONs WITH OTHER CITIES.

COMPARISONS WITH OTHER CITIES.
FATAL EFFECTS OF THE TENEMENT HOUSE sYs-
TEM-THE POPULATION ENORMOUSLY OVER
ESTIMATED - 1T DOES NOT NOW EXCEED
100000.
It cannot be regarded otherwise than as a
great public misfortune that OF 1850 and 1868
contradcted each other respect TO the population OK
NewYork City. The misfortune Is still greater II shau
Of 1860 oyerstated the number or
our inhabitants by more than 100000 The death rates
computed from the and the annual reports OF NOR
tally almost the only means we have OF measuring
the heahfulness Of the city, and of comparing IL with
the sanitary condition OF other large cities either In Eu
rope in this country While Is not given TO man To
conquer death, 1t is OF the most important functions
Of the government Of great metropolis like Ions
DON Paris NewYork to wage defensive
war against such infection, both moral and phys.
ica as can be removed alleyiated by prevents
i've measures. Now If the population is not Known.
or IS believed to be hundreds OF thousands greater
than it really is phanhropists and men OF public spro
are deceived by false measurements and comparisons
and are tempted to remit their Efforts The mortality re-
ports now show appear to show that the City Of New"
York IS more heabful than London Paris and people
from camorng for reform. are well pleased that
the health Of the city carefully attended to by those
having 1t in charge Our object In collecting together
the dozen or more statistical tables which included
in this article show by various lines OF reasoning
that the census Of 1880 outrage and dsgraees
that the estimates without single exception that Wa
know Of which have since been made OF our population
are wrong that the Board Of Health, In their published
statements OF the rates Of mortality, are promugatng
error real estate in their visions OF the growth
of the city and the future value Of property are both
deceiyng deceived and that the people, in their in-
difference the terrible destruction among the tenement
house population unparalleled In any English speaking
city and in their confidence in their ancied security
have been led far astray ignorance and blindness,
altogether inexeusablc their part, well takc
them.
Few persons place the number OF Inhabitants dwelling
on Manhattan Island at than 100000 and few va
suppose fix it at thar 100 o0O An elaborate arti-
which appeared in city Journal some two or three
months ago. figured out total, by Wards, Of 1lls767.
The Registrar OF Vital Statistics who certainly ought to
be we'll informed the subject states in his second an
nual report dated November IT, 1861 that at Is now
known that the actual population Of this city Is very
nearly million" The President OF the Board OF Heah'
I'm his report for tine year 1868 which has very recently
been published that the acreage death rate IN the
entire city in the year ending on the LIST OF
October ds69 Is estimated at 2545 In the l,oc0
inhabitants" The number Of deaths which took
| place during that period was 25,459, so that
the population have been estimated at 100000 10
appears them those who believe island conaina
a population Of million souls or more have very high
| authority.
The Registrar OF vital Statistics, In his report Tor the
same year Qs67-6s), says;
1.-THE rapid increase OF population In New-Yofk and
/ BROOKLYN during past three years mas rendefth
n difficult estimate the death rates In these cities.
Hence, In comparing the totals OF mortality IN these thed
years allowance should be made for the east annual az
erase Of population. From the best sources OF lpfor-
nation available Is believed that the rate OF ~
OF population In NewGOrk since the close OF tho
has been fully Six per cent on the total NUMBER year
| by year"
1t is curious that the Registrar should never have srs
pected that tables OF the nuallmOralty were
tho best OF information for forming an estimate
Of the population OF the city, containing they do facts
which TO be depended on than any census
we are likely to have for an indefinite time to come
careful analysis study OF those tables in connection
with the standard statistics OF the English Registrars
General would have convinced HIM that this vast
annual increase OF the population IS purely imaginary
DEATH RATES.
Il Is quite likely that Of readers have never
given much attention to the subject Of death rates and
viii be obliged to for defining the term before making
any extensive Of t. Tho annual death rate OF city
is them the number OF deaths which take place in year
for each thousand OF the population IL might have been
preferabe had the death rate made per centage,
but custom has sanctioned practice Of stating the
to as so many the thousand The information TO be
had in this country regard to the death rates OF tho
chief capitals OF Europe IT, with the exception Of London.
exceedingly meager The figures given in the table be-
low which were obtained principally from the Journal
OF the English Statistical Society, arc believed 70 ba
trustworthy though we shall not be able 20 give such
analysis OF the death OF the Continental cities aS
we shall present for those Of the chief cities Of Great
| Britain.
| DEATH RATES PRINCIPAL crIss o. EUROPE