Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-05-18

! DR.. G. G. Tyrrell, Permanent Secretary of
the State Board of Health, gives the follow
ing summary Of the health OF the State in
his circular recently issued
Reports from fifty-fve localities have
| been received for April, and from them we
! learn that the mortality for the past month
outside Of San Francisco has been surpris-
ingly small, considering that April with its
varying temperature and usually unsettled
weather has hitherto contributed to make
that month one Of much sickness and in
creased mortality. 1t is also worthy of note
| that considering the extensive prevalence of
! scarlet fever, measles, diaTThea and dysen-
terry, few deaths have been caused By these
| Zymotc diseases. In San Francisco diph
liberia has been almost epidemic and
| caused 81 deaths, but no deaths from scar
| let fever, and only three from m, asles
| which has been epidemic. Diphtheria in
| that city seems to have been confined to
| childrenzif we may Judge from the NOR
tality report, there being only one death
over ten years OF age; the greatest mortality
| being among children between five and ten
years Of age, of whom Il died, with II
deaths between the ages of two and five.
In the 81 localities outside of San Fran
cisco, diphtheria caused only eight deaths :
| two in Bakersfield, two in Los Angeles, two
in Oakland and one in Santa Barbara and
Santa Cruz.
Measles, although extensively prevalent
caused but six deaths-three in San Fran
cisco and three in Marin county.
Scarlet fever caused no deaths.
Group was fatal in four cases-a decrease
| of nine from last month.
Typho-malarial fever gives a mortality
of five.
Remittent and intermittent fevers-No
deaths.
| Typhoid fever shows a slight increase in
the death rate, there being twelve deaths
| from this cause outside of San Francisco,
against five recorded last month. San
| Francisco had ten deaths from typhoid
| fevcr-an increase of one.
| Diseases of the respiratory organs con-
tinue to show a marked decrease with the
advent Of settled weather.
Pneumonia caused but fourteen deaths
outside Of San Francisco, in a population
OF over 100000. san Francisco reports
thirty four deaths from this cause a
marked decrease from last month, when
! fifty-five deaths were recorded.
Acute bronchitis shows like favorable
decrease OF sixteen from March report: in
| fact, there were only four deaths from bron-
| chitis outside Of San Francisco and ii Only
! records nine deaths from this very preYa-
| lent disease SO fatal to the aged.
Consumption occupies a large space in
our mortality returns being credited with
| 116 deaths; even this is d decrease from last
month. when the deaths from this cause
numbered 126.
| Constitutional Diseases.-Cancer, among
| these diseases, caused nineteen deaths-the
same number as in March.
| Heart-disease is credited with thirty
| three deaths.
| Observation-Disclosures deaths.
From the reports of prevailing dis
eases we learn that diphtheria, besides
| being almost epidemic in San Francisco, is
reported in Point Arenas. Santa Clara,
Santa Rosa Bakersfield, Wheatland, Los
Angeles and Ukiah, but in none of these
| localities is it epidemic or very fatal, as be-
| fore remarked.
Measles is epidemic in San Francisco,
Sacramento, Santa Rosa, Travers Berkeley,
Santa Clara and several other localities;
| the type is mild, and with very limited
mortality.
Scarlet fever is reported in Santa Clara,
st. Helena, Shasta county, Tehama county
and Mendocino county, but happily with
out any deaths, which shows the disease of
a mild type.
Typhoid fever is reported as sporadic in
Santa Ana, Vallejo, Arbuckle, Santa Rosa,
Nevada City and Santa Barbara. 1t is not
reported as epidemic anywhere.
Typho-malarial fever prevails to a very
limited extent.
Dysentery ana diarrh9a are reported as
prevailing in Modesto, Sacramento Ukiah,
Santa Ana, Castroville, Travers, Hills
Ferry, Willis, Vallejo, Red Bluff, Millville,
| Cottonwood, Bakersfield, Chico and gener-
ally throughout the State. This is not
unusual with the advent of the fruit sea-
SON and does not prevail so generally later
in the year 1t has, however, been re-
marked by competent observers that ten
dency to diarrhpa exists months previous
| to the advent of cholera, and that this irri-
liability of the bowels is one of the strong
est predisposing causes to the absorption of
| the cholera microbe when it comes in con-
tact with the ahmentary canal. 1t would
be well, therefore, for medical men in their
| respective yicinities to call their patrons
attention to the fact, and warn them against
| allowing diarrhma to pursue its course I'M
checked, as what may appear harmless TO
| the patient may suddenly develop into the
most alarming attack of cholera morbus,
with its characteristic vomiting, cramps
| and watery diarrh9a- 1t does not require
| to be imported from Asia to kill, as what's
! known as English cholera, although per-
| haps wanting in the malignancy and epi-
demic tendency of its Asiauic brother, is
often, when neglected, quite as fatal as the
| foreign disease although much more amen
able to prompt and well directed treatment
when employed.