Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-05-07
A NATIONS MORTALITY.
Lowest Death Rate Among the White
Americans in Rural Districts.

Americans In Rural Districts.
WASHINGTON, May 1.-THE report of DR..
John 5. Billings, surgeon, U. S. A, on
mortality and vital statistics of the United
States as returned for the 10th census
June 1Ss0) has been received by the secre-
tary of the interior. In order to study
the influence upon health eXerted by pecu-
larites, topography, drainage, climate,
etc, the report divides the country into 81
regions, the physical characteristics Of
which are more or less distinct. The
names of diseases which cause more than
an average number of deaths in each of
those regions are given, as well as those
which in point of mortality are below the
average. The total population in 1880 was
80, 49, 1873, an increase in 10 years of II ,597-
4l2. OF this increase 2Sl ,2l9 per annum is
due to immigration. The total number
of immigrants for the 10 years being
2,Sl2, 1871. This makes the mean annual
increase due to the excess of births over
deaths SIS, 522. The mean annual birth
rate for the United States is given
during the year had compatively
low death rate, and high birth rate.
The death rate is shown to have been
higher in the colored than in the white
population; in the foreign element than in
the whites of American parentage, in the
cities than in the rural districts. The
most important causes of disease and
death were consumption, pneumonia,
diphtheria, typhoid fever, malarial fevers
and those i'll defined forms Of diseases to
which children under one year are
subject. This appears from the following
table which gives the principal causes of
death during the census year, in the order
lff ha,, f,a nj 1ant hc
unknown cause 81, 1873, consumption 81,
go, pneumonia 63,053, diphthera 3S, 143,
heart disease 26, O6S, cholera infantum "a,
1888, still births "a SO, typhoid fever %, S5+,
malarial fever 20,23l, Group 1896,
commissions 1884, scarlet fever 16,3SS,
dropsy 14,7sS, debility l4,6l9, old age
IA, l6S, paralysis 13, 907 dysentery l3,427,
cancer 3,06S, enterltis ~ $40, diseases of the
brain II ,2S0, whoopng cough | 1854, bron-
chitis 1884, inflammation of the brain
l0,9O3, diarrhoea 10.S29, apopleXy 1858.
The report also sets forth that taking 80
principal cities of the United States, the
following showed respectively the highest
ratios of death from the above mentioned
causes, in each 10000 inhabitants; apo
plexy, Charleston, S. c., 6.60 cholera NOR
bus, Paterson, n. j., 2.15; consumption,
Charleston, ). c., 1921; Group, Chicago,
ILL.,, 7.23 diphtheria, Pittsburg, Pa, %. 76 ;
homicide. Richmond, Va, -; pneu-
llIoHlii NcW 1 OIh, ~ I =, @.@O' SCdIlet
fever, Fall River, Mass, 4207; smallpox,
Worcester, Mass, 2.57; suicide, San Fran
cisco, Cal, 1888.
Dusl<in's Successor Confirmed.
The nomination of John ID. Burnett to
succeed George NJ. Duskin, suspended
from the Office of United States district
attorney of Alabama, has been confirmed.
1t happened that while his nomination
was pending in the senate Duskin's term
expired. The President sent in new
nomination of Burnett, this time to fill
the vacancy caused by the expiration of
Duskin's term, instead of to succeed a
suspended officer. This took away the
Republican excuse for rejecting the NOM
nee by taking him out of the list of ''con-
tested" nominations. His case was reach
ed Thursday, and he was confirmed so
easily and quietly that some of the sena-
tors did not notice that his name had been
read at all. The fact of his confirmation
has not yet been officially made public,
and 1t is reported that one of the Repub-
lican senators entered motion to re-
consider the vote, which will have the
effect of holding up the matter until the
motion is disposed Of