The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1878-12-26

20 ~ la IJAC
United States and but g. In the South.
but these diseas appear to be more
uniform than any others throughout
the whole country. Missouri. North
and South Carolina. with s., So. and
% deaths respectively. had a larger
proportion than other Southern States
while Alabama, win "A and West
Virginia and Mississippi With -. had
the least. Virginia ana Kentucky had
Do ceaths from these causes per 100 900
Of the popu'"'ion.
The sp ortion of the ravages OF
diph'he- : scarlet fever in the diff
ferent SectiC of the Union is very
great, Il e number of de: tbs from
these causes being % per hundred
thousand OF the population of the
Southern States. TO 10 in the rest Of
the States, the ave- ge in the United
states being GO. In Maryland the
proportion was 20, in Missouri 50, and
IN Tennessee 1t rose to 80. There were
40 deaths from thu e causes in West
Virgin. % in Vi g,nia, Is in Louis
lana, Il in h ntucky, - in North
Carolina. - in Texas, 10 in Arkansas
and Florida, 8 in Mississippi. ! in South
Carolina, and but ) in Georgia an
Alabama.
odIlCCIS art IltICll lCS- lTttlItHl. LnG
number of deaths caused by them be>
ing but 81 per hundred thousand in
the Northern States and Territories,
and only II in the Southern States.
where the range was from 6 in Ar
kansas to u in Louisiana. The uum-
Der IN Vi GINA was IA, IN Tennessee
Il and III the C~rOIinas IL, and 9 per
hundred thousand.
IF viii no Caon from, +Ia fo~,rniDn
that b. far the most prevalent diseases
in the Northern States and Territories,
as wei as in the South, are consump-
ton. pneumonia, diarrhea. dvsenterv.
enteritis. dIphtheria. and scarlet fever.
These diseases caused in the last census
year 3j6 deaths IN the Southern States
per hundred thousand OF the popula-
ton ard 5l4 in the Northern States
and Territories. Disease is almost inn
mediately the result OF climatic infiu-
ences or neglect of proper hyslenic
and sanitary precautions. The former
is undoubtedly the chief cause
throughout the North, and probably
also in the South, but the latter cuaSe
is productive Of a greatly larger pro-
portion Of mortality iii the State, es-
pecially among the negroes.
Referring to climatic considerations,
it is very interesting to observe how
certain classes Of disease follow in a
great degree the iSOthermal lines,
which in the North are more nearly
parallel TO tn lines of latitude, whilst
in the Southern States they run south
westerly. parallel with the coast and
mountains, curving aroun the end OF
the Appalachian chain as it sinks into
the plains of Georgia and Alabama,
and then rising northward up the
Mississippi Valley, which they cross
in a nearly westward direction, fail
ing again to the southwark as they
near the Rocky Mountains. The
marked differences III the topography
end climate produce equally marked
differences in the diseases of the W.
sections. As we have remarked OF
consumption. so all of General Wall
ker's health maps of what We may
term climatic diseases. show broad
belts of color stretching in a generally
| east and west direction through the
Northern States. In the South, par
tlcularly in the Atlantic States and
throughout the Appalachian system,
the climatic bets are very narrow and
may frequently be crossed in a days
Journey. Sections of country, there
fore, in which any disease becomes
epidemic or prevalent are readily
evacuated and the lower or swamp
country is Always emptied of its white
population on the approach OF the
malarial season.
Climatic diseases, therefore, in the
Southern S ates fall chiefly on the ne>
groes, who from their povert, and
habits of J :, are less able than the
whites eth to fly from them or re-
sist their effects. In fact, by far the
larger percentage OF mortality in the
South is among the blacks. DIR. Camp
bel, of Abingdon, who has given some
attention to this subject. estimates the
excess in the rural districts Of south
west Virginia to be not less thar
tven y-tive per cent. There the eli
mate is remarkab ! healthful and the
colored pop ION small. In proper
ton as il is dens h percentage OF
mortality increases, until it becomes
so great in the crowded cities as to ex-
cite of late years the inquiry: "ls the
negro race dying out - In the last
annual report of the Board OF Health
of Washington, DR.. Verdi SHOWS that
while the percentage of morality
among the whites wa7 less than that
of most cities of the Union, that the
blacks was threefOld as great, and ur
gently invites the attention of ph'lan-
thropists add vital sta isIicians to The
subject. Tie health reports of Char
lesion. Sav.ruah Mobile, and New
o, cleans show a similar disproportion
in the rates of mortality of the two
races. Colonel ID. Wyatt Aiken, OF
South Carolina. one of the most OBJ
servant and experienced agricultural
lists OF thai State, is Of the opinion tina
the mortality of the blacks on The
plantation has not increased since
emancipation, and that in the upper
country it does not exceed that OF The
--I.Eo r., tho ,urnc onJ cities