New-York tribune., 1874-03-09
SANITARY DEFENSE.
LECTURE BY PROF. CHANDLER.


Health Laws" was delivered In the large hall OF tho
Coopcr Union on Saturday evening to the usual FREQ
audience which on this occasion was large one. Pro
Chandler announced at the oDset that the limits OF his
discourse would De curailed somewhat owing TO sag-
eston which ne had received. He then, after briefly
referring 10 superiority OF man over all other species
Of the animal kingdom both IN physical and mental DC
yeIopments stated that as the engine required water
aud air. the human being required the agencies OF the
creation develop his natural ondowments' lie de-
,crbed hoy the animal have digestive food that
VIII find It's way into tee channels necessary LOT the
propagation life: that the heart is only forcepump
from which all the blood permcatlug the system re-
ceyes its Impulse There are only two channels
the bringing the blood 10 the extremities called
arteries and the other bringing it back TO the rescrv0s
called veins, the camllares acting as agents
The lecturer then entered comprehensive explain
alton Of the duration OF human ne aud the leading
to the cessation Of life through the want OF
proper supply OF and water. Even under the most
favorable circumstances the organism wears oni II 1t
ia well used II shOud last average, three and
ten years. bat t does DT. Playfar shown IN the
satiscsof Liverpool found IN the ease Of the gentry
the best fed clothed, ana Eousedtha the average dnra
zion OF life years in the OF the tradesmen,
- years: and laborers the average being only 20
years That is the human organism IL 40 poorly pro-
eced against causes OF death That 1t averages to sus
itself only years. Ia studying sanitary questions
the gst points ia to get az the facts and for tins
what called VIAL STATISTICS
ccted calculated studied In order TO ascertain the
/ facts connected with death and disease
Iu 1872 The number Of deaths in New-YOTk was over
S2oG) in population Of 100000 or, as 1t Is technically
spoken or % per the thousand IL is important
10 know how this death rate IS distributed among tho
agc-, the point IN determining how 10 pre-
death ana find to our horror that nearly one
hair the deaths are OF children less than ye years Old,
owing that leading this great death rate
dependent not much on the action of persons
themselves OF those who should for them. Be
tween The OF five and twenty l2i cent die,
before reaching manhood 62 per cent Of pop
ulat0n dies For the remaining period II Is distributed
more oqua ly; from twenty to twenty-five about per
cent from twenty-five 10 thirty per cent; from thirty
u thirtyve about cent? from thirtyye to forty,
a little over per cent; from forty to ortynve,
little less than 4 per cent; from forty-iye TO
dfty, per cent; from fifty to aty-nyo, the
percentage is 2s from hfty- five to sixty, "a;
IRON co 70 20 about O. and from 70 rs a little over
| per cent. Then the number falls OF. In fact, all
bat per cent die before they reach the OF three
score and While the mortality in NewYork Is s2
In 1907 have reason To believe that under favorable
circumstances the inevitable mortality should not be
more than II in 1900; that the mortality Is nearly dou-
Die what 1t might be If everything We could do
done 10 diminish it.
But n Is merely the persons who dc who are 10 be
mourHed. They the most unfortunate people IN
tie community Those VINO sick and cannot die
frequently much more 10 be ped ana II We carefully
study the ratio OF sickness death shall md Tor
every person who dies there are two persons sick
al the time in every community II 5000 die IA New
York per dnnum, CA eco st all the time that sick
for year. But for the deaths from day 70 day
estimated that for each death there are about 30
cases Of sickness In Manchester Dr. Payfair found u
was 25 for each death, while tae duration VI
each sickness is about days careful record
kept not long ago the Metropolitan Police In regard
70 the amount OF sickness. The Metropolitan polcemen
selected by physical examination, and were as
were governed also by toeraby strict and severe rue
by which their health was protected TO considerGoe
Il was found by a careful investigation period
years from 1864 To 1867 inclusive, that the total
number OF deaths IN the force announced TO only ~ ~
thousand per annum; that - IT was only its more
entire city, II was found however, that he average
sickness was III days yer annun Every inaA ~ tHe
force averaged loss Of III days ycar. Now taking
12I deaths multiply il by 81, the asuai
number Of scKnesses, there must have been on an
average $40 of sickness constantly, and multiply
this by 30 tue number OF days average sckness, we
have this orce o. litte 1900 os OF g.4o0
days 10y sickness. But we find that tber acuaily lost
uO days by sickness. which would amount TO 5 years
OF labor Ihe value OF the Time actually lost by thdt
little body of men by sickness was $4,000 year.
The diseases commonly known a. contagious 90 not
cause LARGE proportion Of deaths rs Is generally
supposed For instance IN the year 1872 the city .uf-
feIcd from very severe attack OF smallpox. and
larger number OF deaths ensue than key 70 ur
again. There were nearly 1000 deaths out of 3210 by
aud dphtheua destroyed O)y 1900 m thr aggre
gate OF course it is not claimed tnat any tling Se all
vented, but large proportion Oi the sickuoss, and
large proportion OF the deaths, from bad IN
sutceut food, bad arr, bad wafer, and imperfect shel
Poverty ~ one or the most frequent causes o sex
ness sickness Is of the most frequent causes OF
poverty; but climate AMI typographical Influences pro-
tbSf cannot he too freqnauty mentoned becauc IL -
entirely within own control Ia the year 1872 there
34 deaths FROM dlc0nOne Influences IN tins city, Ot
winch over 100 were from derum remens. A new
plan to have been instituted At present
Tor meeting this evil lApplause.l No pan YET
tnis which is OF the greatest evils OF the present
word in regard 10 the causes OF disease again. In
Old times there a great variety OF supersuuOns n
regard TO diseases which attributed 10 ey spirits,
inclined think diseases the punishment for moral
crimes instead OF physical ones. IAppladscI Disease
can only be repeated by sinnng more The dis
is the immediate result Of some violation OF the
sanitary law either ON account of the individual or the
community. Fdghtful crimes, We know. nave been per-
petraed on account Of these mistaken notions Of tho
It has been demonstrated that disease is preyentbe.
and the plague that formerly desoated large countries
persons died Of the plague IN iSa 5000 in iSas 1900
IN 1868 no less than $500 persons were swept away la
single year. twice many persons die In kewfork,
aud this was when London was a comparatively small
city. In the little island Of Iceland. In the year l70,
$4,000 Now this of the easily prevented Of all
diseases and II IL not probable that there Will ever Dc
another serious outbreak In 1870 900 persons died IN
NewYork but in 1871 yaccinating corps sent out
and 5000 persons yaccluated-as many would
permit It, being vaccDated free OF charge Yellow eyeris
equally under control. one OF tho best ilustra
the possibility OF investigating disease and Of control
ling 1t, is presented by the OF the siIkwom. The
sllkworm forms one Of the most Important elements
OF wealth In France Some years disease broke
out among the silkworms, and the caerpllars which
make the silk were covered with dark-colored spots;
their ability to work suddenly stopped, and the six
industry or France almost entirely destroyed. A
great French chemist Investigated the matter but he at
first found scarcely anything TO detect In the little
il manifested itself by destroying the worn
ssqueniy discovered in the mothsEthe previous stage
tons OF aud he found that he could distinguish thoss