The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1884-05-10
Department and efficient aid Of the City Mar

| Department and efficient aid of the City Mar
| shall and his assistants.
The streets and alleys have been kept In bet
ter condition and the drainage OF the city mas
| received more attention than in former years,
and MS IA consequence fewer nulsances have
required abatement; and have the pleasure
to add that the labor thus expended has been
of incalculable value not only In sustaining
the proud record of our city MS II healthy To-
cality, but IL has no doubt aided directly IN
the preservation of human life and IN the pre-
ycntion of disease.
The number Of deaths which have occurred
during the year from all causes were seventy
six, and taking into consideration the causes
of mortality and the ages AT which these deaths
occurred, We can show record for health and
longevity which is not surpassed, ana DOUBT
if il is equalcd, by any town or city In the Uni
ted States according to population. Estinat,
| ing the population of Ottawa III ten thousand
and this cannot Zoe considered high, especial
! ly while taking into account the floatlng pop
ulation aud it must be estimated as We make
"A record of deaths occurring therefrom-from
this calculation, then, We find the death-rate
| To be only u per thousand. Ii will be noticed
too, by referring to the Mortuary Record kept
| in the Health Office, that as some VI the deaths
during the year were from violence ana accl-
dents and Il large per cent from old age, dis-
ease was not so prominent factor OF mortal
Nv II
il appear Taking also into consideration the
low death-rate among children and youth, and
YOU will see that my statement in relation To
| our city as Il place of health is not eXaggerat-
ed, and which will be fully confirmed by Il
statement of the relative ages at which the
above mentioned deaths took place.
Of the Is deaths occurring during the year,
9 were between 50 and 10 years of age, II be
tween 10 and 50, ~ between % and 40, ~ be-
tween 80 and 90 Il between 10 and 30, be.
tween , and ID, : between months ana =
wears, and 10 from birth to months.
1t MAY be suggested by some that this year
as well as the last was exceptional AS regards
GOOD health and low rate OF mortality, ana
having myself thought that it might have
been only n happy coincidence, l took pains
to ascertain the number of deaths which have
occurred in this city during the last years,
and to my establishment lave found the death
rate unusually low. Estimating the popula
ton of the city, resident and transient, during
those years at an average OF 1000, ana we get
Il mean dcath-ratc of 10 and fraction per 1000.
Presuming that you might wish to know
how these rates compare with other portions
of the country, | examined the vital statistics
of 81 of the principal cities of the United States
for the wear 1880, (the latest ! had access to-
and found the mean dchth.rUte to he ~ and
fraction per 1000, and the lowest death rate Of
all the cities examined was twice Us great and
the highest four times as great as that of OF,
tawa. ] also examined the statistics of nine of
the principal countries of Europe ,1including
period Of 81 years, and found Inc mean death.
rate to he q md a fraction per 1000. England
and Wales, included among those countries,
hay, 4 mean death-r tic about the same with
that of tie United States.
These facts and figures rcfute an impression
which has long prevailed, ascribing to Ottawa
the unenviablc reputation of being an nnheal-
thy place; and although we have no sanitary
or vital statistics prior to the last seven years,
can state from personal knowledge that dur
ING an active practice in this city OF over thr-
ty wears | have not seen or known an cpldcm-
c of infectious or contagious diseases, such as
have visited mauy Of our ncghboring towns
aud cities. would say further, that the en-
dcmic diseases which formerly prevailed in
this locality and which were principally OF
maarial origin, are becoming less frequent;
and it may also be worthy of note that rarely
during the last summer was there Il well de-
fined case of ague seen in this city.
There must be some local cause for this
uneuualled sanitary condition, and in my OPT
Mon it cannot he traced more directly than to
the beautiful supply of pure artesian water
and your constant efforts to keep the city
clean and well drained; and although much
has already been done in that direction, there
is vet much to do. | would therefore recon-
mend 10 your nohorapie booy hot W rclaN
your efforts in this good work, rs it is one re
curing constant vigilance, and work, too,
that is amply repaid for the expenditure of
time and money by the direct results Of com
fort and health to the community.
win you also allow me to suggest that, as
some of the members of this council are also
members Of the Ottawa Business Mems Asso-
citation, they make note of these sanitary
facts, as it is a matter of vital importance to
be able to show that our city, with all its at
trective and beautiful environments, its supe.
rior mercantile and manufacturing facilities,
together with its high moral tone of social
life, is also place uncqualled for health, and
especially desirable as Il location for a home,
not only for the laborer, the artisan and CAPT
talst but also for the gentleman of leisure
r. VI. Macarthur, VI. d.,
rjl, Veui,H Dficer