Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1873-04-14
DISEASE AND DEATH IN THE CEN
W STTq

The charts of mortality in the second
volume of the census report, which is just
published, are interestingthings: Fhe OBJ !
iect of the maps is to show, in distinct
colors, the relative mortality from various
diseases in different parts of the country. +
The Springfield Republican having had an
opportunity to examine these charts, says:
.sTES drst- of these maps illustrates 1hef,
existence of the great scourge OF the
country, consumption. which carried off
in 1870, 69,s96 people, out of 492 1868
deaths, -more than pneumonia (40,012)
or any other disease. The existence of
the disease Is marked by FIVE shades of
blue, with clear white, making six grada-
tons. There is little patch in the Ale
ghanies, at the southern end Of West Vir-
ginia, and including few counties in that
State, and in old Virginia, where there
are less than $50 deaths of consumption
among 10000 deaths All the Florida pc
ninsula and parts of central Georgia en-
Joy the same distinction. There is lit
tie patch in central New York, of the next
shade, where the proportion to the 10000
is from 250 to $50. But all the northern |
and eastern States are darker. All New
England is terribly blue, over 1000 to the
10000 except patch thus bounded: Be-
ginning at the south end of Lake Cham
plain, running across Vermont, near Rut-
land to the Connecticut river, thence
south to the Massachusetts line, then west
again about half way from the river to
the west State line, then south to the line
Of Hampden county, or thereabout. and
east again to the Connecticut and across
tia little, then down the river again to
Hartford, thence of east diagonally to the
Sound. All to the south and west of the
above described line comes in the next
best shade, where the proportion is from
1400 to 1000. Thus Springfield gets into
the more lenient shade by the skin OF its
teeth and the line coming east from mic
Berkshire for the express purpose of tax
ing in this passenger. A large part O
Wisconsin, Iowa and northwestern
Illinois is SIS blue as we are Minnesota
ranges from 900 to 1400, or is quite white
As all the unsettled country is white, too,
we do not know whether to conclude that
the northern part of Minnesota is very
healthy, or very sparsely settled. Cali
fornia contains considerable white and
l;obt sbo 1od torr;toru I,@ 4hora :, at, o,,
inously blue patch north and south of the
Sacramento and around San Francisco.
The next map, colored orange, repre-
sents malarious diseases and leaves New
England mostly white All Massachu.
sets, New Hampshire and Rhode Island
are white, that is, have less than 100 deaths
in 10000 from this cause. A patch includ
ing the northwestern corner of Connect
cut and part of New York, another sur
rounding the south end of Lake Cham.
plain, another around Burlington, another
on the Maine coast, and another on the
north western corner of Maine, comprise
all the malarial region Of New England
and in none Of these does the ratio exceed
from 100 to $50 to the 10000. Nearly all
the South and West have as great pro-
portion, and at least half of the South
greater. Northern Florida, the eastern
corner of South Carolina and portion of
Texas, back of Galveston, are the only
portions of the country suffering more
than l400 malarial deaths to the 10000.
The third map covers enteric, (boweD &C.
rebro spinal and typhus fevers. This
group of diseases is scattered curiously
and indescribably. New England has
three shades Gin red,) the lightest being
Massachusetts, east of Worcester, northern
Rhode Island, the southwestern quarter OF
Vermont and Caledonia county where the
deaths are from $50 to $50. Western
Massachusetts and nearly all Connecticut
and the bulk Of New England is shade
darker. with from $50 to 900 deaths.
Northern New Hampshire, the northeast
ern projection of Vermont, and portion
of southern New Hampshire and Maine
are redder yet, and have from 900 to 400
Ill kcuCidi, Tic w est ana North are red
der that the South, although the reddest
patches are found only in the South. All
Florida, and large tracts through the
southwestern States are quite white or
only lightly shaded. There are some sin
gular compensatons for instance, the
eastern corner Of South Carolina, golden
with malarial disease, is quite free from
these terrible fevers. The fourth map
covers intestinal disease, (diarrhca, dys-
entery. enteritis,) otherwise than fevers.
In this. too, although the greeenest patches
are in the South, there is in general, less
color there than in the North. Maine,
New Hampshire and Vermont are but
lightly dyed, and central northern
Vermont very lightly. But there is a
rough triangle based on the Sound, cover
ing nearly all Connecticut, all central
Massachusetts,, including the river counties,
and uiarcino nm into Naw IIapopcb;ra a