Daily Republican., 1881-01-08
Tho CitV,A Heaitn.

health Of the City BY statistical reports
the leading diseases supposed to he
inf usncsd more than any other by
mslarial causes. His latest health
bulletin gives some important mortu-
ary facts in reference to scarlet fever,
typoid and diphtheria which are
considered more or less Of contagious
character, also OF cholera infantum,
confined entirely to children and which
10 not contagious. The statistics cover
year up to the first Of January, and
for the sake Of making comparisons MIR
Frazer has divided the city into two
nearly equal divisions by Market
strest, the eastern division embracing
the Second, Fourth, Sixth, Eighth and
Ninth Wards, and the western divi-
sion embI acing the First, Third. Fifth
Seventh and Tenth Wards.
II will he noticed in the tables pub
lished elsewhere, that in scarlet fever
and typhoid fever the mortality has
bsen greater in the Western section
while diphthsris supposed to be more
or less Influenced by malarial causes is
more prevalent in the Eastern section.
II will also BE- noticed that cholera in
fsntum, in no manner Influenced ny
malaria, is fearful,y more prevalent in
the eastern section. Typhoid more
than any other disease named, is more
general, not beisg confined to young or
old, is nevertheless more prevalent
west Of Market street, where it has
generally been claimed and conceded
that that section was mlre healthy
than the low lying section on the east
ern side.
A glance at Clerk FrSzer's published
figures shows that in scarlet fever there
were % deaths in the western section
while there were bat l3 in the eastern
section. This shows a mortality OF
more than two to one in that section
claimed TO be the most healthy. OF
she Al cases 40 Of them were under 10
years Of age, and only one over it. 1t
is anut for physicians TO crack at, to tell
why there we're over double the cases
of scarlet fever In the western wards
compared with the eastern wards. A
curious fact is that while in the First
Ward there ara 10 cases, in the Third
Ward lying right along side of it and
subject to nearly the sans influences,
= though little higher up ia the city,
there WAS but one case. In the Fifth
Ward, considered one Of the heslthiest
in the city and higher up than the
Third, there were cases, while in the
Fourth on the eastern side there were
20 deaths at all.
The statistics in relstion to dipLthe-
ria must also puzzle the brains Of our
medi,al experts. In this disease the
burthen OF mortality has shifted over
to the eastern part of the sity. The
figures show that there were but 3
cases in the western section whils
there were Is in the eastern section.
We would reasonably suppose that
there must be soma cause for this great
difference. In diphtheria the cases were
all under 10 years Of age, only 4 being
over 5. The disease, if it be disease,
was more prevalent in the Fourth and
Sixth Wards; in the Third and Seventh
there were 10 cases.
In typhoid, which affects all alike OF
all ages the western section shows
greater mortality by two-ftths than the
eastern section. This disease perhaps
more than any Of the others is more
directly trAoeabls to msarial causes,
and the question with doct3rs will
again aris-; why is the greater NOR
tality in the western part OF the city.
OF the Is cases in the western section
A each were in the Fifth and Seventh
wards and in the Tenth. The Third
again escapes, as does tbs Second Ward
in the eastern section. The causes for
more cases of typhoid in the western
part Of the city, has generally been
attributed to defective plumbing and
defective water closets 10 the residen-
ces OF the more wealthy citizens, bu.
this theory will hardly hold good with
cases staring US in the face from the
Tenth Ward. OF the "a cases reported |
l6 of them were over Is years of age
and were under 5. Only four Of them
were females. Another nut for our
medical solons TO crack will be to tell
why there were 20 cases amongst the
males and but four amongst the fe
males. If the large mortality from
typhoid is to be attributed to defective
plumbing then it might 5e supposed
the mortality would bs greater amongst
females as they are more confined to
the houses than the males. However
We will leave this question with thy
doctors.
Cholera infartum, as It's nama irdi-
Gates, is entirely confined to children,
but why should there be- A cases ini
the eastern section, while there we're
but q in the western section, is a
question wAioh We presume even the
doctors canlot ansTer. The Sixth ,ole