Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-04-14
THE PLBLIC HEALTH
Continued Favorable Reports-Absenc
of Enid mic Diseaxe

of Epidemic Disease.
DR.. Gerard G. Tyrrell, Secretary of the
State Board of Health, makes the followir Q
report for March:
From the reports received from ninety
Localities we judge that the amount of sick
ness throughout the State is confined
chiefly to affections of the respiratory sys-
tenn, which is to be expected from the at
mospheric conditions prevailing through
out the month.
Pneumonia is noticed as prevailing to a
| limited extent in each town heard from.
Bronchitis is likewise experienced all
over the State, but does not appear to he
attended with any extensive mortality ex-
cept among the very aged
Influenza is epidemic in many places
but is mild in character, with no fatality
W hooplng- cough is prevalent in Lincoln.
Nicolaus, Millville, Jolon, Forest Hill. San
FRANCISCO, Oroville and Oakland.
Scarlet fever is prevalent in Los Angeles,
Riverside, Alturas. San Mateo and San
Francisco. Dr. j. s. Baker writes that the
form OF scarlet fever prevailing in Les An
geles is OF a mild character, with very linn
tied mortality.
Measles also prevail in Truckee, Sacra-
mento, Susanville, Ventura, San Francisco
and Fort Bidwell. DR.. G. w. Kober. Post
Surgeon at the latter place, writing in re-
gard to the prevalence of measles there.
says Ii any evidence was needed to show
the Importance of general and individual
hygiene on the influence of disease, it is
illustrated by this fact. that while there
was no death from measles among sixty
hve whites attacked, in thirty cases occur
ring among the Indians, six-three adults
and three children-or one in five, have
thus far died. This condition is in no wise
que TO imprudent treatment on the part of
thelr medicine men, as they are not active.
and most OF the cases had received treat
ment at my hands," The fact that measles
coming among an uncivilized community
Is always more fatal than the civilized is
demonstrated by the above return The
same fatality was experienced among the
FIJI Islanders in 1877, when it was intro
duced among them from Sydney. and
caused the death of one-fifth of the popu-
lation.
Diphtheria still prevails in San Francisco,
but III lesser degree. Sporadic cases have
also been noticed i'll Sacramento, Vallejo,
Modesto, Etna Mills, Riverside. San Diego.
Los Angeles and Oakland
Group is present wherever diphtheria is
noticed, and is proportionately fatal.
Typhoid and typho-malarial fevers are
not prevalent any place. Sporadic cases
were. noticed in Lakeport, Weaverville.
Sacramento, Bakersfield, Livermore, Rock
I'm, Etna Mills, Plymouth, Igo, Vallejo and
Willis
Remittent ana intermittent fevers are
prevalent in many places, but of a mild
type and limited in number.
Erysipelas in sporadic form is mentioned
in reports from San Mateo, Lemoore, Ukiah.
Bakersfield, Etna Mills, Mariposa, Downie-
vile, Rocklin, Allegheny, Truckee, Forest
Hill and Hills Ferry. No fatality from
this disease is reported
The cases of trichiniasis mentioned in
our last circular occurred in Lassen county.
and were discovered by DR.. w. d. Groton,
OF Susanyille, in the persons of four Ital-
ians who had freely partaken of some
sausage-meat prepared by themselves. as |
understand, from a hog raised in the
nelghborheod. As these persons had been
under treatment for typhoid fever by some
physician, 1t reflects great credit upon DR..
Groton IN diagnosing so accurately the
| cause OF the affection, as in the experience
OF the writer these are the first cases of this
disease that have been detected in Califor-
MA. Hitherto the disease has never been
suspected as occurring in this State. Dr.
Groton kindly furnished me with some of
the sausage, and microscopical examina-
ton OF 1t revealed the trichina in every
specimen examined. As it was most i'm
portant that the disease should be confined
to the locality in which it appeared, the
State Board of Health advised that all
teverish or sickly hogs should be at once
Killed and their carcasses burned. If this
advice is acted upon, We may hope to arrest
at once the development of trichinse in
this State
Hog cholera, or infectious pneumo-en-
teIitis, has also been reported in another To-
callty: This dis ase has now obtained a
diffusion that prompt measures earlier
taken might have arrested. There is no
doubt that the safest means would be to
destroy all swine so attacked and cremate
their carcasses we would thus prevent the
possibility Of introducing into the human
system, by the consumption of the tainted
flesh OF such animals, the germs of a verv
lnsidlous and loathsome disease, exhibiting
the more prominent symptoms of typhoid
fever, anthrax, or erysipelas, with each of
which 1t has often been confounded From
the fact that the disease is both infectious
and contagious, and that recovery from it
IS seldom complete, it would seem an act of
wisdom on thepart of the owners of a large
number OF hogs to have the diseased ami
mails destroyed completely and their abode
thoughly disinfected. All consumers of
swine flesh should be admonished to see
that it is thoroughly cooked before eaten,
and under no circumstance eat any hogs
flesh raw or undone