The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-11-11
HEALTH OF THE STATE.
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE, STATE BOARD
-a, =H ia,HE OF HEALTH. sf.sj

ANNUAL hcfOh1 or LIE "a w DcahD |
-.. t u.s,HE OF HEALTH. @ "
The Second Annual Report Of the stale
Board OF Health and Vital Statistics has been
printed for transmission to the General AS
sembly. 1t states that the failure OF the last
General Assembly to make any approprla-
ton for the purposes OF the Board has rem
dered it impossible for them to perform the
various duties assigned them, and that the
Board does not ask compensation for any OF
its members except for the permanent sec
retary, whose whole time is necessarily con-
sumed by the duties of his office.
The report sets forth that there has heen
no general sanitary system heretofore in
Virginia, with the exception Of the Boards
Of Health in the cities and some Of the larger
towns. The legislation of O general charac-
ter in relation to the public health has been
mainly limited to the power conferred upon
courts and town councils 10 establish hos
with smallpox or other contagious or infec-
tious diseases; the subject of quarantine;
the provision for the appointment of Il vac
cine agent the requirement that when
mill is proposed to be erected upon any Wa
ter-course jury shall inquire, among other
things, into the probable effect upon the
health of the neighborhood and the impo-
stion of penalty for the sale of unwhoe-
some provisions and adulterated food, drink,
or medicines. The self-nulitying act ere
atipg the State Board was the first attempt
to establish such body to take cooniZance
of the interests of health and life" in the
State at large.
This remarkable anomaly therefore pre-
sents itself: that while some two thousand
physicians in the State earn livelihood by
the cure of disease, receiving for their SER
| vices at least S2,0J0.000 annually-Suppos-
! ing their professional incomes to average no
| more than 81 ,000-there is not a dollar er-
pended for the prevention Of disease among
our population of / ,225 900, and not an indi-
uiduaL in the State uhose professional I'M
terest 1t is to laho:' tor such prevention.
| 1t is remarked "that at a very mode
rate rate of mortaity-lowcr than full re-
gistration of deaths would juStify-at least
20, 900 persons die annually IN Virginia. 1t
is true that the returns Of mortality accom-
panying the United States ccnsus of 1870
give an aggregate for this State of only ID, 1S3;
but when we reflect that these returns are
not the result OF an actual registration Of
deaths, but were made up from the recollec-
tons of heads of families as to the deaths
which occurred during the twelve months
| plcttuIuS Iuc CcLSus, anu HuCu VIC DSsA
in mind the incompetence of many Of
those who were charged with the collection
of the census returns, and the very imper-
feet manner i'll which their work was often
done, we are Obliged to admit that the sta
tistics of mortality thus obtained are alto
.cther unreliable. The worthless reSistra-
ton of our own State affords no means OF
correcting their errors; but if we take "a Il
standard Of comparison the death-rate in
other countries, where a faithful system OF
registration is maintained, and in which the
conditions affecting health and life are at
least rs favorable as il Virginia. we may rea-
Sonably conclude that 10000 is a low estl-
mate for the number Of deaths annually o.
curing in this State. We arealso justified
by the daily experience of physicians in
assuming that for every death there are 1T
/ least twenty-five cases OF sickness sufficiently
serious to call for medical treatment. We
thus obtain an aggregate of 100000 cases OF
sickness annually, giving employment and
support to numerous corps Of physicians
at 4 heavy expense to the people. Yet the
State practically disregards this widespread
visitation of disease and this yearly harvest
of death, and with strange indifference
refuses to make any expenditure for the
Investigation Of the causes Of disease with q
view Of its prevention, and puts forth no
serious effort to save the lives of its cti-
zens"
After elaborate and interesting remarks on
, the cost of disease and death to the commu-
nifty, and the practical results of sanitary
improvements the report sets forth at length
the necessity Of a sanitary organization with
a central board, and concludes as follows:
1t remains with the General Assembly
to decide whether vitulity and permanence
shall be given to the State Board of Health
by such rca .onable provision for its support
as is indispensable to its efficiency, Oh
, whether this first attempt at sanitary I'M
provement in our State shall prove abortive
In the former event. it must still be appareni
that the. enterprise cannot be intelligently
conducted without the help of reliable
system Of registration.
"Tital statistics must furnish the ddta tc
guide the sanitarian-must inform hin
lrhere and in arhdt degree the evils exls
which require to be remedied; and they VII
in due time express the results OF his ettor I
by the variations in the death-rate Whlcl
they will reveal. This Board, therefore, !
the General Assembly shall judge tit to con
tinue its existence on proper footing, viii
regard it as primary duty to urge revision
of the existing laws relating 10 the registra
ton Of births, marriages, and deaths, which
experience has shown to be well-nigh bar
rem of useful practical results"