The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1875-08-04
GhtGateltfgettee
The Wet Weather and the Public
Health.

Nealtus
The probable effect OF the recent un
precedented rainfall on the public health
is question OF some interest atthis time
As stated in yesterdays paper, we have
had, in the past thirty days, no less thar
II! inches Of rainfall in the city Ii
July 1874 there were s inches, and il
July 1873, siinches. By referring to the
July report Of the Health Officer for
those years, We find that there were in
1888 deaths, IN ls74-i2 deaths, and
in ls75-iS deaths. The only class oil
diseases likely to be increased by wet
weather and subsequent great heat, We
understand to be what Are called mias.
matic,which includes diarrhoeal diseases,
the fevers, erysipelaS, Group, dyspepsia,
etc, From this class, there were in July,
1873, l5 deaths, in 1874, 20 deaths, and
in 1875, "a deaths. The difference Of
mortality in these years is hardly suiIi.
ciently great to form basis for any con.
elusIon' There has not been an increase,
however, in propartlon to the rainfall.
The ELECTS oil the wet weather will per-
haps be more apparent when the sun be-
gins to shine upon the saturated earth
Wherever animal and vegetable matter
- -
lies exposed and this is necessarily the case
to some extent0Imost everywhere, decom-
position will occur, offensive gases will
rise and mlngle with the air we breathe,
and 1t will be wonder II the sickness
and mortality oil tie city are not thereby
materially lGSreaSed' ms Is especially
true oil those parts oil the city inhabited
by the poor ana Nnenuea'eu portion oil
the community, whlch aFe aIwaysl'n the
poorest sanitary condition. because such
people often live on the alleys, IN poor
tenement hon'eS'il provided win prop
or ventilation, or indeed with any oil the
comforts oil llie' It's IN such localltIes,and
among THIS less fortunate class oil people,
lhat tue gFea'e'1 infant mortality J occurs
The death reports oil the city show that
in July, 1873, ont ol 45 deaths, II were OF
children under year and 10 under b
years Old; in July, 1874, oil AZ deaths, 10
were under year and ~ under Oyears,
and in July, 1875, OF dS deaths, % were
under year and 80 under b years ot age.
This is truly " slaughter Of the limo.
cents and the same slaughter goes on in
other cities, For example there occur.
red in Washington City during three
weeks OF last month, total Of 277 deaths,
OF these llO occurred in children
under year and 100 under years
old. During these same weeks there
were in Chicago S27 deaths, Of which
4S2 were of children under ! year and
6G3 under five years old. The largest
number Of these deaths was from
diarrhoeal diseases. These diseases are
undoubtedly largely dependent upon a
high temperature, with n damp atmOs-
phere ind bad sanitary surroundings, NS
damp, dark, ill.vcntilated dwellings,
located in filthy localities. Add to these
poor and improper food and ignorance Of
mothers or others who have the care Of
infants, and 1t will not be a source Of
wonder that 30 many children die early,
Want Of proper care on the part Of
parents, the result Of ignorance, Is per-
haps more potent than any other one
cause, and indeed this Ignorance OF
parents embraces and implies many other
causes Of infant deaths. Although this is
diversion from our original topic the
following facts may be ot interest: In
England, every person marrying Is re-
quired to sign register or make MS
mark So perfect is their system Oh regis
trntion Of births, marriages and deaths,
that an approximation can be reached
as to the effect OF the Ignorance Of
parents In increasing the death rate Of
children born to them' For the purpose
Of showing the connection between the
education OF the parents and the life Of
their children, the records OF twenty-five
years, Including 3,SO2I42 marriages,