Morning journal and courier., 1880-09-29
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL.

Distribution of Disease-Health of the
 Country During the Summer Months Reports From the Board of Health. WASHINGTON, Sept 28.-The national board of health furnishes the following syn opsis of the distribution of disease" during the summer months. There has been gen.
 eraI decline in the death rate of all pulmo.
 nary diseases, that of acute lung diseases
 having been 40 per cent. in the East, 30 per
 cent in the South and 20 per cent. in the
 Northwest. It has been noted that other in
 duences than temperature control the move
 ment in this class of diseases. The epidemic
 of smallpox at Camden, N. J., has furnished
 24 out of the 8 deaths reported. Philadel-
 phia reports 13 and Chicago and San Francis
 co report each. A report of Asiatic chol-
 era in Erie, Pa., caused some alarm, but no
 case of that disease has been proved to exist
 in the country this season. Indiana, Ten
 nessee and adjoining States show the greater
 reduction. Both classes continue to fall in
 the North, East and Southeast, but both
 show an increased rate in the Northwest,
 which probably results from the earlier
 change of season in the more elevated DOT
 tions of that inland section. Group has in-
 creased in all sections, but diphtheria shows marked decline in the Northwest, with a small increase of mortality in the other sec tions. The rate of death from measles con- t1nues to fall in all parts of the country and
 scarlet fever has advanced only in the North west. Whooping cough has begun to fall in it's rate of mortality for all sections, the most marked decline being in the Southeast where the disease had spread extensively and in July reached a death rate of o5o. It falls to O4O this month. The increase of enteric fever noted last month still continues in all sections of the country the advance being most marked in the North west. This may be ascribed to the earlier | change of season in the section, as referred to in connection with the increase of mortal ity from acute lung diseases, enteric fever being notably autumnal disease in this country. Malarial levers being in the same class es to season, general increase Is noted in all sections being most marked in the Northeast and Northwest, where the temper | ature required to develop the cause appeared latest The change of the death rate from diarrhoeal and other summer diseases does not necessarily follow the temperature in 1 their decline so closely in their inception, I many deaths occurring from sudden fall of | temperature acting upon subjects previously prepared by the exhausting effects of the heat The deduction of the death rate from diarrhoeal diseases has been greatest in the Northeast, where it has been the | highest Since July the rate has fallen States have reported extensive prevalence of l typho-malarial levers, but usually not of 8 very fatal type. No yellow fever has ap- peared at any of the points of the coast, the | few deaths reported during the month having occurred in infected vessels or in quarantine l The fever known as the ''dengue'' has pre-
 vailed along the Mississippi and the Gulf 1 coast and in Charleston, but the mortality was generally small.
 The National Board of Health furnishes l the following bulletin
 NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 27. Dr. s. A. Collins reports that the fever prevailing about Pointe La Hatche is not | yellow fever, but malarial, and yields readily | to quinine. Dengue is on the decline in New l Orleans and along the lower coast. Some l cases of yellow fever have occurred.
 SANTIAGO DE CUBA. The United States consul reports for the month of July 136 deaths from yellow fever, 49 from smallpox and 12 from typhoid fever. The cases of yellow fever were mostly among | the Spanish troops, and the harbor and vicin- 1 ity being free from disease clean bills of health were issued.