Evening star., 1886-11-10
CITY AND DISTRICT.
THE CITY'S HEALTH.
A Favorable showing Made by the
Health Officers Annual Report.

THE CITY'S HEALTH.
A Favorable showing Made by the
Health Officers Annual Report.
| A DECREASE IN THE DEATH INTERPRETATIONS
OF THE DEPARTMENT FOR YEAR-THE
REMOVAL OF AsHEs-THE GROWTH OF PUBLIC
SENTIMENT IN THE MATTER OF SANITARY
PLUMBING.
Health Officer Townshend to-day submitted
to the District Commissioners his annual report
for the last fiscal year. The report is accom-
panied by a number of extended and compre-
hensive tables, which the health officer says
present most satisfactory showing as
regards the death rate of the District for the
year. As compared with the year 1885 we
find decrease in the death rate Of 2.19 per
1 ZOO per annum, which means, Of course, the
lives of 449 OF our people, AS compared with
the mean mortality for eleven years We find
| reduction OF LAP per 1000 per annum. This
Is most gratifying an evidence OF the
increased healthfulness Of the District, and
what is more consOling to US, as guardians OF
the health Of the people, the death rate from
reduced from 5.S2 to 4.46 per ], 900 per annum;
the reduction being, as is shown,a continued
cutting down of the rate Of mortality from this
class OF diseases"
OPERATIONS OF THE SERVICE
The following is synopsis OF the work per-
formed in the various branches of the service
during the year: There were 19,621 nuisances
| reported and abated; 45,525 pounds OF meat:
1O3 ,496 pounds of fsh, 14,6sO1a bushels of
| fruit and vegetables, 3514 busheIs OF oysers,
116.117 clans, and l41, ,O59 crabs condemned
| as unfit tor food. Examinations and reports
were made on 64S citizens complaints, 1883
official letters written, 1894 official notices
were issued, 70 cases were referred to the aitor-
| ney and 80 10 the chemist for action. There
were 3,2O1 animals impOunded. and the con-
tractor for the removal of Offal took away
s,SOS dead animals, 14,Se7 tons OF garbage,
clans to the poor treated 1851 patehts, Of
which number 5,43O were white and 11a71
were colored. There were 1865 burial permits
| OF all kinds issued, and 456 orders issued tor
| burials at the public expense. There were
3,O21 inspections OF plumbing work made, and
125 inspections of houses made in which there
was no drainage, but yards were connected
with sewers. 113 transcripts from the records
OF births, marriages and deaths were furnished
applicants, and 81 permits issued for obstruc-
tiOn OF travel on streets on account OF serious
illness of residents.
There has been, the report says, a notable de-
crease in the number of nuisances found in
alleys, attributable main,y to the progress OF
improvements, as, when paved and severed,
| alleys are rarely found in a state of nuisance.
THE REMOVAL OF ASHES.
There were 634 nuisancss reported under the
head OF ashes. The health officer urges again
this year that action be taken looking to the
moval of ashes from dwellings at the public
expense. Referring TO his former reports he
says, II have pointed out the necessity for
such action as q sanitary measure, aud pictured
the manner in which many nuisances result
from the accumulations OF ashes on premises.
iots, in the unimproved alleys, aud in the
yards OF private premises. These piles invite
the addition OF OLner refuse of various kinds
and are u constant source OF nuisance. II We
could succeed In getting the present accum ula-
tiOns removed think that the regular removal
Of the ashes from dwellings could be accom-
plished at the same cost as is annually paid Tor
the collection OIL garbage. He Suggests again
the feasibility OF combining the removal ot
ashes with the removal OF gan bage. A new con-
! tract will have to be made for the removal OF
garbage from July lst, 1887, and he hopes pro-
vision may be made for The coiieclion anu re-
mOval vi ashes also. A reduction in the class
known as house nnisances from i 81 in 500 to
80 in 1856 is the health officer thinks, all midi
cation OF a heatthful improvement in bne supi-
tary condition OF tie class of dwellings where
iiuisancee are nstnhly Nnnd.
CONVERSATIONS OF UNwHOLEsoME FOOD.
Two tables are given, presenting statements
showing the character and extent OF food con-
demned as unwhOiesome during the year. "The
inspection force in this branch OF the service
the report says, "has been active and energetic
and Il large quantity CT uusound mea t, fruit and
vegetables has been kept from the tables OF The
poorer classes, where most OF Ii would have
found its way. Some OF the principal items Of
condemnation were, 2U,46O pounds OF beef,
1854 pounds OF mutton, 9,Se2 pounds ofpoul-
try, 5,425 pounds OF veal, $3.50 pounds OF
bacon, DC; 3 ,3:55 heads OF Cabbage and let
tuce, IL PIG dozens OF cucumbers, 1862 can
teioupes, 9,3eS watermeions and /, 40 bushels
was increase OF 81 ,5ZS il the receipts Of sfIau
uuring the year, anu falling off OF 2, ,SU4 $50
III herring. There was also slight decrease in
receipts OF bunch fish, and q considerable in-
crease in the number OF bushels Of oysters. The
total number OF animals i'm pounded during the
year reached, stated above, 3,zUl, of whicn
humber 1865 were dogs During The pas, 1ive
years there nave been 1853 animals iln-
pounded, and OF this number 5,74S we-e dogs.
1888.
kel.rring to the vast collection of original
certificates and other papers respecting births.
IN Marriages ana deaths on file in the ONCE, the
report says this mass Of papers aud valuable
records are In q building without any proper
protection against tire, and provision should be
made at the earliest possible moment Tor their
storage iu hreprOof vaults.
An increase In the amount Of garbage collect.
ed and removed during The year COM pared
with the year previous, amounting to 967 tons,
is noted.
and ardnous duties of the medical sanitary in
spector, expresses q hope that his present SAL
AIRY oi 81 200 may be Increased two or three
hundred dollars.
VITAL STATISTICS FOR YEAR.
Four thousand six hundred and seventy-four
deaths occurred in the District OF Columbia
during the year, Of which number 1912 were
white males, ,13O white females, LOTT colored
males, and l, so cOlored females This gives
All annual deatn-rate OF IL .96 per l 100 per an
mum for the whites 32.35 TOR the coiared, and
-. 80 Tor the total population. The population
OF the district OF Columbia ON January l.
1850, is estimated ut cOO,OOO tl3G, QUO white
and 69, 900 colored). This estimate il deter
mined 10y the annual percentage OF increase
shown by the census OF 1850, and by the police
census vi 1885,
Or the total number of deaths 915 are at
triDuted to zymotlc diseases, 1,1S5 TO consti-
tu.ional diseases, including 1876 deaths from
consumption; 1906 from local diseases; 466
from deveiopmental diseases, and DOB from
violence, accidents, &c. o. the 3522 births re-
ported 1,O12 were white maIes, 07:S white
| females, 16S colored males and 76Y coiored
females. There were $50 marriages reported,
676 between white parties, z55 beLwee n colored
parties, aud mixed marriages.
UNEvENTEUL FROM A SANITARY POINT OF
VIEW.
Accompanying the health officers report is
one from DR.. Ben. G. Pool, the medical sanitary
inspector, who says: 1.-THE year has been COM
paratively uneventful from a sanitary point OF
view, The total deaIh-rate having been below
the mean annual rate for the past eieven years
and the leading contagious diseases noticeable
for their absence or small mortality. Measles
which, In the winter OF 1884, became so prev.
alenl aud caused such = large proportion oil the
deaths OF the year, has nearly disappeared, hav-
iny caused only three deaths during the last
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