The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1878-06-06
STAUNTON. VIRGINIA. JUNE 6. 1878.


ga Is, and Florida but SO. In the fifteen
Southern States the proportion was only 12s
out of 100, 900. Again, it must he borne in MIND
thai the national average is lesseped, not
only on account of the low rate in the South
hut also by the western territories whose
population is exceptionally healthy and Wig
orous. In the South, too, it is more localiz.
ed, large territories having scarcely any con
sumptives. Most of the deaths in Florida
and Georgia are those Of incurables who
have sought too late the relief of their genia
climate, and the same is true OF the high
Blue Ridge plateau OF western North Caro-
lima.
Next to consumption in fatality comes
pneumonia, which we must own ravages the
South more than the North, the number Of
deaths resulting from it in the whole United
States being 1O4 per 100000, while the
Southern States average 100. This large
average Ct the South was cniefly due to the
246 OF Arkansas where it seems to have
ragged as an epidemic, though other States
| were also above the average. On the same
basis the number of deaths from this cause
were 17s in Louisiana, 1853 in Missouri, l51
in Alabama, l47 In Texas, IA in Florida,
AZ in Mississippi, 1l9 in Virginia, lis in
Georgia, 103 in Kentucky and Tennessee,
iOl in South Carolina, 95 in Maryland, SO
in North Carolina and but IS in West Vir-
sinia.
The diseases Of cholera infantum, Group,
whooping cough and measels, though not of
the same class or genera. may be grouped
together for our convenience as ''infantile. -
The deaths from these causes in the South
ern States we're ll9 to each 1000 OF the
population, while they reached l2S in the
whole United States. The range, however,
was considerable, from 30 in West Virgin :
la and Georgia, 90 in Alabama, and So in
Florida and South Carolina, to 16S in Louis
lana, Ill in Maryland, and 17S in Missouri,
the three latter being the only ones above
the average.
DiarrhGa, dysentery and enteritis car
ried off 81 out of the same number in the
whole United States but oEIy 70 in the South
ern States, Missouri with 1872 victims, Georgia
Sc, Virginia 81. and Florida 80, were the
emily Southern States having a greater pro
portion than the national average. Louisia-
ma, in spite OF its large percentage OF NOR
tality, had but l6 deaths in the hundred
thousand from this cause, Maryland and
West Virginia had but SO, Tennessee 60,
Arkansas GO, Kentucky Is, Texas 66, Ala
bama G., North Carolina 6S, and South
Carolina rs to every 1000 of the popula-
ton.
Intermittent and remittent fevers are par
| ticulary Southern in their territorial char
acter, the average being G5 deaths from this
cause out OF 1000 population Of the South
ern States and but 80 in the whole United
States. Most of these occurred in the ma
larial districts of Louisiana and Texas where
the average lose to ll5, and Florida
where it was ia, Arkansas, Mississippi and
Alabama had respectively 81, " and rs, all
above the average Of the Southern States.
Missouri had 81, Georgia so, South Carolina
50, Tennessee 45, and North Carolina a..
while Kentucky with but %, Virginia 81,
Maryland 20 and West Virginia 6, were
much below the national average.
While the general average Of deaths from
small pox was fifty per cent greater in the
South Qs) than in the United States as a
whole Q2), this result was de to epidemics
in very restricted sections of Louisiana Q27),
Missouri (6W and Texas $40. 10 the same
number of the population there were ID
deaths from small pox in Kentucky, in
Tennessee,7 in Mississippi, 6 in Arkansas, Gin
Georgia and Alabama. but l in Maryland,
West Virginia and Florida, and none at all
in Virginia or the Carolinas.
The South, however, is freer from cerebr0
spinal, enteric and typhoid fevers than other
sections of the Union, the number of deaths
from these causes being G4 per 100000 in
the United States and but 81 in the South,
but these diseases appear to DC more uni
form than any others throughout the whole
country. Missouri, North and South Car
DINA, with So, SO and 80 deaths respectively,
had larger proportion than other Southern
States, while Alabama with A and West
Virginia and Mississippi with AZ, had the
| least. Virginia and Kentucky had Sc deaths
from these causes per 100000 of the popula
ton.
/ The Jisproportion OF the ravages OF dip
liberia a, Il scarlet fever in the different sec
lions OF the Union is very great, the num-
Der OF deaths from these causes being q
per hundred thousand OF the population O
the Southern States, to 40 in the rest of TIN
States, the average in the United States be
ing &c. In Maryland the proportion wa
70, in Missouri 80, and in Tennessee it ros,
to 80. Tn re were 40 deaths from these
causes in West Virginia, 90 in Virginia, Il
in Louisiana, II in Kentucky, Is in NORTH
Carolina, Is in Texas, 10 in Arkansas AM
Florida, 8 in Mississippi South Carolina
and but 6 in Georgia and Alabama.
Cancer. are much less frequent, the nun
Der of deaths caused by them being but 2
per hundred thousand in the Northern
States and Territories, and only IL in tn
Southern States, where the range was from
6 in Arkansas to 81 in Louisiana. TIL
number in Virginia was IA, in Tennessee l:
and in the Caroinas IL and par hundred
thousand.
1t will be seen from the foregoing that b.
far the most prevalent diseases in the North
ern States and Territories. as well as in tn
| South are consumption, pneumonia, diar
rhna, dysentery, entertis, diptherla, an
g scarlet fever. These diseases caused in tn
D last census year 1856 deaths in the Souther
States per hundred thousand of the popula
ton and GA in the Northern States an
: Territories. Disease is almost immediatel.
= the result Of climatic influences or neglec
of proper hygienic aad sanitary precaution
: The former is undoubtedly the chief caus
s throughout the North, and probably also
t the South, but the latter cause is pr
e ductive of a greatly larger proportion 9
/ mortality in the States, especially anon
: the negroes.
n Referring to climatic considerations, it
Y very interesting to observe how certain ella