The Evening critic., 1882-11-02
PRO BONO PUBLIC0.
FACTS FROM THE HEALTH OFFICE.

Health Ofllcer Townshend submitted tho rc-
port OF the transactions Of his ofIlce during
the fiscal year ending June 30, 1892, to the
District Commissioners this afternoon.
The report IL tho eleventh annual report OF
tho department and the fourth by tho present
Health Onccr, and Is very lengthy and com.
pleto, besides being accompanied by an i'm
mense amount OF statistics plaus, drawings,
etc. The
vital Statistics for the Year
show d,b71 deaths, an excess OF i35 over tho
totnl OF tho previous year, or Mt tho rate OF
LEA per 1000 OF tho population. OF tho dc.
cedcnts 1888 wore white and 2,2lS were col.
orcd. The deaths of persons under year OF
age aggregated 1873, and OF persons over 60
years COL. There were 3,30l births, 700 mar
Der OF
Deaths In the District for the Past
seven Years
are given ms follows; 1876, 1,162; 1877,
i,2O1; 1873, d,235; 1870, 1,309; 1880, f,201;
Tho various branches Of tho Health Service
reported 10,9SO nuisances, OF which all were
abated and condemned-3S,250 pounds OF
meat, 121,5s6 pounds of nshi 0,o12 bushels
OF fruits, and 1850 bushels Of oysters as
unit for food. There wore LILO animals Inn
pounded, and 1926 dead animals removed;
1O,136 tons OF garbage, and 1886 barrels of
night-soil were removed.
There were 0,2O0 burial permits issued, 120
referred to the Coroner and 500 burlals made
Tho great work accomplished by the Board
OF Health in the eleven years OF its existence,
by which tho city has been lifted from
muddy filthy condition TO the cleanest city In
the Union, is reviewed at some length.
The report mentions among
The Reforms of Eleven Years
the abatement OF 207,0O nuisancos, tho nll-
ing up OF the Washington Canal, tho improve
ments In the odorless eScavatng service and
appliances and the wonderful improvcment
I'm the sanitary condition OF tho streets and
alleys and OF every part OF the city and its
suburbs. During the life OF tho Board of
Health 1850 houses have been condemned as
unfit for habitation, and taken down and re-
placed by suitable dwellings, 2,105 stlgnant
pools have been nlled up and innumerable
improvements accomplished. only 22S alleys
while 500 were reported tho previous year.
Attention Is called to tho importance OF q pub
lie collection of ashes, authorized by the Com
missioners and appropriated for by Congress-.
Defective drainage In yards was found and
remedied in 1l0 cases and In sewers In 10 In
stances. The collection OF garbage is being
moro satisfactorily performed than at any
previous time, and every detail OF tho service
is reported to be working satisfactorily
The necessity for providing a depot at some
point on the river front, ut which the citys re-
fuse could be received and shipped, Ia urged
at some length, and 1t is recommended that
legislative enactment should require all olfal
TO beconveyed to designated point and the
city should provide for Its utilization.
Tho so-callcd "sewer'trap nuisance Is again
complained Of. In Wow OF tho immense
amount OF meat offered for sale in tho Dis.
| trlct and condemned as unit for food, 1t is sug
gested that an inspection Of 1.-Two stock IN
tended TO be killed for food should bo insti-
| tuted.
| The Establishment of an AbattOir
| is again recommended for the purpose OF put
ting an end TO tho driving of cattle through the
| streets, preventing cruelty In butchering, con-
| trolling diseases among live stock, etc.
The inspection Of marine products has been
improved by arrangements for having the
products examined on their arrival instead OF
| after they have been exposed for sale. Tho
operations of the pound service shows nn In
| crease Of 7S9 in tho number of animals i'm.
pounded.
The necessity for remedying the defects In
| the act providing for enforcement OF the lax
on dogs is noted, as 1t has boon n cause OF loss
OF revenue to the District. There wore 90
cases under the Health ordinances, which were
| referred to the attorney for action, and were
subsequently, prosecuted. The fines from the,e
| cases amounted to $101.75. Attention is called
| TO tho necessity for legalizlrg sections and
| OF tho Health regulations.
The Care OF Indigent Sick Persons
| entitled TO assistance from tho District has
progressed satisfactorily, 11,312 patients hay;
| were white and 7,210 colored; 21,441 visits
| were made and 1859 onlce consultations held
| The cost OF medicines furnished was $2,750
The report recommends tho payment OF
| 81, 100 10 tho physicians of the poor for the
| two months services which they rendered
quiring that cases of sickness be reported
| make the physicians TO the poor the only me
dium through which Information can be OBJ
| talDeu OF inc DreVuleuC0 OF any ulSeaSe, tnC
value OF which statistics was shown whom the
influence OF the Potomac flats on the public
health was under Investigation.
The Smallpox Outbreak
is treated of In detail, twenty pages being de
voted to review of each case, the precautions
takon, etc, all OF which has been previously
published. Tho inspection OF plumbing is alst
at great epgts and the
out. On January %, 1881, the law organizing
the system was passed, and Samuel A. Robin
son was Immediately appointed Inspector o
Plumbing: Regulations were at once, pre-
pared, and In less than one year the work wa
we'll organized and being successfully per
| formed. Robinson's report shows that certil
Gates OF the proper draining and plumbing o
$40 new houses were made and forwarded Il
the Inspector OF Buildings; 702 permits 70
| connections with public sewers were Issued
and 056 inspections made Of the plumbing
work in dwellings. 1t is customary 10 pa,
three visits OF inspection to houses In cours
OF erection. Washington was the first city t
adopt and put into execution regulations gov
erning plumbing and drainage, but New York
Brooklyn and other cities have followed tn
example. the report suggests
Alterations of the Plumbing ReguIa
tiOns
and the manner OF their enforcement with
view to increasing their efficiency, aud sul
gests the appointment Of two or three assist
ant inspectors.
Details of vital statistics.
Tho statistics show the population OF tn
District on June 80, 1882, to have been 1873
653 OF which 12l411 wero white. or IN
, | 4,571 deaths there were 1,107 from zymoti
1,1i4 from constitutional, 1,03l from locs
and 1S1 from developmental diseases and Ia
from violence. Among the deaths there WEI
112 from malarlal fover, independent of 4
from tyhpo-malaria, 110 from diphtherla, /
from smallpox, SO from Group, 50 from sea
let fever, 100 from typhoid fever, 80 fro
from consumption, 031 from diseases OF IL
nervous system, Ill from accidents and nei
lgence, OF which 15 were from falls, z raj
road accidents, 10 drowned, II burned, 8 sh
with toy pistols. There was but ono 1udici
execution and there were 81 homicldes and
suicides.
or the 1901 births there were OIL whi
males, $50 white females, S05 colored NAL
! and 1856 colored females. There were 81
! illegitimate children born, of which SD We
report is accompanied by complete ma
showing the
Locations Infected by various Di
7 eases,
I tables OF daily mortality and meteorologic
!, | conditions, detailed tables of deaths fro
various diseases from 1874 TO 1882, list OF a
ditions 10 library, copy of plumbing regul
tions, LIS. OF registered physicians, list
: plumbers, maps and drawings illustratii
| sanitary and unBanitary plumbing, CODY
= Health 0filcer Townshend's testimony befo
0 the Senate committee investigating the sic
ness caused by the Potomac iiats, etc.
= Tho report shows gratifying 1mproveme
{ In almost every branch OF the important 3,
: vice. the object OF which is the preeoryati
= OF the public health, and clearly demonstrai
the fact that Washington Is In every respect
: One of the Most Healthy Cities
}: the Country
y and improving yearly In this respect. II
q slight increase IN the death rate g not attr