National Republican., 1876-11-22
BOARD OF HEALTH,
Vital statistics-Nuisauees Absted.

A regular meeting Of the Board of Health
was held at their rooms last evening, DR.. T. S.
Verdi (president) in the chair. r.
Mr.. Marbury, from the finance committee,
reported bills amounting TO 1886; which
were passed and ordered to be paid.
The following is synopsis of the operations
of the health office for the week ending No
Vember IS: Nuisances reported, sos; referred,
so; abated, 207; referred to Commissioners,
II; official notices issued, 10; causes of death
investigated, IS; pecuniary conditions inVesti-
gated, IL; burials at public expense, 10; causes
OF zymotic diseases investigated, 8; typhoid
fever, 8; typho malarial fever, l; scarlatina, 1;
premises found sanitary 1; unsanitary, 4; tons
of garbage removed, SO; dead animals re-
moved, 26; priyies cleaned, 613; inspections,
$50 bushels oysters, =, ,204 punches fish; con-
demnations, l60 bushels oysters, 254 punches
fish, GO pounds beef, 40 pounds pork, SO pounds
veal, 67 pounds mutton, A ducks, 165 chick
ems, IL turkeys, 60 rabbits, 9S cabbages, 4
bushels potatoes, bushels apples, 2 bushels
turnips; animals impounded, ID; redeemed, "A;
killed, 2; in pound, 3.
The frame structure, No. CSC Maryland ave-
nue. southwest, was declared nuisance, and
the health officer ordered to abate it.
DEATHS AND BIRTHS. s.
Tte registrar submitted statement of NOR
tality in the District for the week ending
Saturday, November II, which shows: Total
deaths, SO; white, 26; colored, 3S; under one
year old. IL; ten years, 10; thirty years, 8;
fifty years, II; eighty years, "A; ninety years, q
natives of the District, IS; other parts of the
United States, 25; Ireland, s.; Germany, 1.
The principal causes of death were: Group, 1;
congestiye fever, 1; typhoid fever, 2; scarlet
fever, 2: cerebro- spinal fever, 2; cancer, 1;
phthisis pulmonalis, II; apoplexy, 4; conVul-
sions, 4; trismus nascentium, L; heart disease,
2; bronchitis, 8; pneumonia, 6; congestion of
lungs, 1; old age, 1; violence, 5. The mortal
ity was more than last week, or at the rate
Of 1915 per 1000 per annum. Increase of
the population by births over deaths was IL, or
at the rate of $500 per 200 per annum;
zymotic deaths, 1856 per cent; constitutional
deaths, 2S.7S per cent; local deaths, TAG per
cent; developmental deaths, 10.17 per cent;
violence deaths, sos per cent. Rate of NOR
tality of the white population was 11.T57
per 1000 per annum, while the mortality of
the colored population was at the rate OF
SS.133 per goo per annum. Rate of increase
of the white population by births over deaths
S.591 per 1,000 per annum, while the decrease
of the colored population by deaths over births
was S 0S9 per 900 per annum. Births, IL;
white male, %; female, 20; colored male, Is;
female, Is.
THE MEDICAL SANITARY INSPECTOR.
A communication was received from Dr.. W.
D. Stewart, medical sanitary inspector, in
reply to certain portions of the annual re-
port of Coroner d. c. Patterson regarding
deaths, the causes of which are certified to
by the medical sanitary inspector without any
inquest being made. DR.. Stewart states that
the coroner has been betrayed into a gross
error in attempting to state the nature and
scope of the duties of that officer, which in
truth and justice to that important service
should be corrected. 1t is far from being true
that "the principal duty of the medical sani-
tary inspector is to inquire into the cause of
death of those who were not attended by a
physician and to give certificates accord
ingly," as is well known to every one who has
read the two last annual reports of the Board
of Health, or examined the consolidated tabu-
ports OF the medical sanitary inspector. no
The gratuitous assumption that the service
is imperfect" or conflicting" and that "no
post nloTte1l examinations are ever mad" is
contradicted by facts known to DR.. Patterson,
and the records of this office show that in
every instance where there has been suspicion
of crime" the case has been referred to the
coroner as required by resolution and instruc-
tions of the board. 1t is not true that "no
post moTtern examinations have ever been
made, " or that "causes ofdeath reported have
been to a great extent purely conjectural."
Certainly not more ''conjectural' than the
numerous cases reported by the coroner where
'tinquests are not held or post n,ortenl deemed
necessary" but the "coroner gave certificates
of death"
He regrets that the coroner deemed it to be
his duty, or that propriety permitted him, to
attack by innuendo and direct assertion a co.
ordinate branch Of the public service with
which he has officially no connection, and the
nature and scope of the duties of which his
unwarranted statements referred to in his
annual report convict him Of being inexcussbly
ignorant.
The best indication of the nature of the
duties of the medical sanitary inspector is to
be found in his annual reports, all of which
are accessible to Coroner Patterson or any
body else, and could have been quite as easily
consulted by him as the source of his informa-
tion as to the salary paid that officer.
The Communication was ordered to be filed,
and the board adjourned.