National Republican., 1884-02-26
THE SOURCE OF MANKIND.
A Few Reasons Adduced Why Consumption
is so Fearfully Prevalent in This City.
Interviews with Prominent Physicians
on the Cause OF This Condition.

The alarming prevalence of consumption
and other pulmonary diseases in this city,
and the weekly presentation OF tho ratio of
deaths from that cause, have combined to stir
up considerable feeling in the matter to know
tho cau3o of this alarming mortality.
The following question was propounded TO
number of physicians yesterday by Re-
PUBLICAN reporter:
"What Is tho reason that lung diseases arc
so prevalent in Washington? The mortality
statistics of tho district show that deaths
from consumption range from 90 to SO per
cent, while the mortality from all pulmonary
diseases has ranged from 80 to sc per cent. Of
the total number OF deathsp
DIR. Hartigau, deputy coroner, said: "Tho
cause has no doubt been the changeabe
and damp weather. Pneumonia has been
more prevalent than other pulmonary dis
cases. / regard the increase as temporary,
and q result of accidental causes. The
winter has been an exceptional one here MS
we'll as elsewhere. Another cause of the
increased mortality among pulmonary cases
can be accounted for by the fact that many
advanced cases of consumption come here
from the north, en- route for Florida. Some
of these cases dio here. Another cause may
he found in the fact that one.third of tho
population of Washington is composed of
colored people, among whom the mortality is
BEtuIbI kHult hilOuk bub Mulbto. LlS ID
especially true of the mulattos, who are
peculiarly prone to pulmonary diseases. l
have no doubt that if the temporary increase
of the death rate was analyZed
it would be shown that it
is confined largely TO tho above
element of tho population, and that itself is
one of the strongest arguments against mis-.
cegenation. Washington is a very healthy
city. In conversation with me on the occa-
sion of his recent visit the late DIR. Marion
Sims said Il am going to give up Paris,
Nice, and Rome for Washington"
DIR. Reyburn said "The increase in pull
monary diseases Is due to the excessive
amount of moisture in the air. The weather
has been cold and damp. The number of all
respiratory diseases increases as you go up
the Atlantic coast from similar causes. This
season has been an eXceptionable one. The
humidity has been very great, accompanied
by cold, bleak winds. Tho Inc yase is not
permanent, it is climatic. For instance, dur
ing very hot weather, intestinal diseases pre-
vail to large extent. l think that tho Po-
tomac flats improvements when completed,
will make this very healthy city," In
conclusion, DIR. Reyburn said that both ground
and houses in Washington are saturated with
moisture, and this city will soon be infested
with malarial diseases "We will be fortu-
nate" he said, ito escape an epidemic of ma
larial fevers at the close of this damp SPELL"
DR.. S. j. Radcliffe said "The majority of
cases of pulmonary diseases has been among
the colored people, especially the half-breedS.
Consumption has almost been scourge in
certain parts of the United States during the
past few years. OF the ninety-two persons
who died from that disease in Washington
during the month of January only 81 per
cent were natives of this city. A great many
people come here for q warmer climate, and
die here. March and April are the trying
months for consumptives. More OF them die
during those months than in all the rest of
the year. This subject becomes interesting"
he concluded, "when We take into considera-
tion the modern theory that consumption is
contagious"
DIR. L. A. Adams, of East Washington said:
"The excessively humid atmosphere and the
very chsngeable weather of late l think ac-
count for the whole matter. Many people
who came here for relief in previous years
have failed to find it this year. The season
has been phenomenal, and damp and op-
pressive weather has prevailed"
DIR. w. F. Byrns, of Capitol hill, thought
that the excessive and continued cold and
moist weather had tended largely to produce
the results mentioned"
Several old citizens remarked that the win
ter so far had been a meteorological phenomc-
non. One of them said, I'VE have frequent y
had the four seasons in one day during Janu-
ary and February.
1t will be seen from the above interviews
that the physicians quoted assume that the
terrible mortality in this district from pull
monary diseases is matter of recent occur
renee. AS a matter of fact Washington has
had the terrible fame from its earliest history
of being a favorito field for consumption.
Any old resident can easily verify this state
ment from his memory. As the city increases
In population the actual number of deaths
from all causes increases. The percentage of
deaths from consumption however has always
been large, larger in fact than in any other
city in the country.