Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-10-12
THE STATES HEALTH.
The Report eff the Secretary of the Stat
Board for September.

cities and towns, with an estimated popu-
lation of 702, 700, record the deaths therein
at SS2, giving monthly percentage per
thousand of 25, or an annual death rate
of Is per thousand, which is the same as
that in August, and Enthusiastically shows
the healthy condition of the State, and
I how exceedingly low our death rate is COM
pared with that of any other State in the
| Union. The principal causes of death
were:
PREVAILING DISEASES.
| Reports received from eighty-five locali-
ties in different parts of the State all agree
| upon the exteme healthfulness of their re-
| spective districts.
Cholera iufantum was observed in sew
eral instances in San Bernardino, Sisson,
Elsinore, Dixon, Sacramento, and Oak
| land
Diarrhoea and dysentery is mentioned in
reports from Lincoln, Esinore, Shasta, Be
nicia, Weayerville, Anaheim, San Bernar-
dino, Fresno, Sisson, DowDey, Liyermore,
Tulare Fort Bidwell, Sierra City, Bakers
field, Gonzales, Marysville, Sacramento,
Oakland, Pomona, Vallejo. and Truckee.
Smallpox during the mouth numbered
| twenty-four cases in San Francisco. In
Stockton one case was imported from San
Francisco; another appeared in L.vermore,
|
mento. All were strictly quarantined, and
so far the dissase has not spread For
reasons heretofore given, we may look for
gradual increase of the disease. Prudence
should, therefore, suggest that vaccination
be insisted upon throughout the State, as
| time can alone tell whsther the disease now
commencing may develop ar epidemic, or
malignant tendency, or continue in the
mild form assumed during the past winter
and spring. Bet er far TO prevent either by
| timely vaccination, which is safe and GER
| tain to protect those ayailing themselves
of it.
| Measles are mentioned as in Jolon.
Scarlet fever is lingering here and there
| throughout the State. The type is par
ticularly mild and the mortality very lim-
tied. 1t is noted in reports from San Fran
cisco, Jolon, Anderson, Hollister, San Jose
| Visalia and Red Bluff.
Nineteen cases of diphtheria were re-
ported from San Francisco, where the dis
ease is abating. In Oakland a good many
cases occurred; also in Los Angeles
Sporadic cases were mentioned in St
Helena, Sonora, Sisson, Lincoln, Jolon.
Etna Mills, Truckee, Nevada City, Santa
Barbara and Stockton.
Whooping cough is present in St Helena,
Livermorc, Angels Camp, College City,
| ODlCO, ISldluIDa anu
Erysipelas was noted in Sacramento, San
Bernardino, Fresno, Weayerville, Millville,
Mariposa, Bakersfield. Oakland and San
Jose.
Typhoid fever is mentioned in reports
from Anaheim, Sisson, Alturas, Jolon,
Newman, Livermore, Fort BidWell, Etna
Mills, Truckee, Cotton, Healdsburg, Jack
son, Marysvilie, Oakland, Pasadena, Peta-
luna, Sacramento, San Bernardino San
Diego, San Francisco, Sanla Ana, Santa
Barbara and Stockton. At this season of
the year We expect typhoid fever to prevail
more or less, but SO far there have been
only sporadic cases, without any tendency
to become epidemic.
| Remittent fever seems much more prev
alent than any fever except the intermit-
| tent fever, and seems to take the form
called bilious. 1t is reported in Fresno
Oakland, Oroville, Sacramento, San Ber-
nardino, San Diego, San Francisco, Downey
Benicia, Sisson, Knights Ferry, Cottonwood
Newman, Lakeport, Tulare, Truckee and
Bakersfield.
Pneumonia is again mentioned in our re.
ports, in different places Fresno, Liver.
more, Ventura, Calistoga, Anderson, Bakers
field, Oakland, San Francisco, Santa Rosa
San Diego, Oroville, Los Angeles, Heads
burg, Red Bluff and Chico
Bronchitis is also noticed in reports from
San Bernardino, Fresno, Cottonwood, Hop
land, Bodie, Lakeport, Lemoore, Merced
Red Bluff, Santa Rosa, Oakland and San
Francisco.
Varicella, or chicken-pox is prevalent in
Dixon and Mariposa.
| The presence of yellow fever in Florida,
and its rapid dissemination into neighbor.
| ing States, has caused some uneasiness in
/ California, lest the large immigration from
| the South into this State might carry some
of the infectiye germs with it into oul
warm valleys, where they would have all
| the requisites for development into de.
structive activity, to the ruin of our State
To guard against such a possibility, the
State Board of Health have appointed DR.
S. S. Herrick, an expert in the diagnosis oil
yellow fever, to visit our southern frontier
and ascertain the extent of our liability tc
infection either from Florida or Mexico
and to take every means known to science
to guard against the entrance OF yellow
fever, if such should threaten us. A great
many persons, with confidence begotten Of
an unfamiliarity with the disease, believe
that yellow fever could not exist in Cali
fornia, and, therefore, think that we have
nothing to dread from intercourse with
States afflicted with the disease or coun,
tries where it is endemic. Experience
|
precautions are requisite whenever yellow
fever approaches US within veday's travel
as within that time it may get into oul
State before the fever is developed
Tears of past immunity will not save III
if once we permit the disease germs TO gc
q lodgment in the warm valleys of oul
State. 1t is absurd TO suppose that yellow
fever could find no abiding place upor
this coast; the same fallacy was enter
tanned for years in Mazatlan, lie Paz, Quay
mas, Hermosillo and Rosario-the latte
place 5000 feet above the level of the sea
where, until few years since, the feYel
was unknown. Yet, when through care
lessness and the belief in the invulner
ability of the climate to such diseases i
was admitted, it not only decimated th,
inhabitants, but is now permanently estab
lished as endemic to these places.
Yellow fever requires simply the initia
germ-a temperature of zoe to 800, with
humidity of zoe to soto flourish Th,
mean temperature of Southern Californi:
is between 70o and so during the warn
months. The mean humidity, say of Lo
Angeles, is: August 77o, September 800
October S0', according to the Signal Servic,
report of last year. The humidity of Sar
Diego was 790, S0o and $40, for the sam,
months. In Jackson, Fla. the mean tenn
| ID ~ " on anu tue uledu nu
midity is respectively $40, 800, 500; 81
that as far as the temperature and humidit,
of Jackson, Fla, and that of our southern
border, there is not much TO choose be
tween them
In the Sacramento valley the meal
humidity is, for the same months, $50, 500
1Oo; SO that the greater dryness of the ai
would render US less liable to cultivate tn,
disease, but the truth must be acknowl
edged that we are as yet ignorant of tn
limits within which yellow fever can b
confined. Therefore, instead of waitin
for it to enter our doors for the purpose c
experimenting as to whether it can or can
not live in California, the State Board O
Health concluded that the safest course 70
the State to pursue was to exclude it al
together, if ceaseless vigilance and unre
mitting attention to complete sanitation
esn accomplish such purpose.
Disastrous Runaway.
About P. NJ. yesterday Herman HEIGHT
. In, r.