Butte semi-weekly miner., 1889-01-16
VITAL STATISTICS.
THE HEALTH 0FFIcER,s FIGURES
IS 10 THE DEATH RATE.
From the Interments in the Cemeteries the
Death Rate in Butte shows 1t to BE One
Of the Healthiest Cities In the Country
Cases Of Throat Diseases Few.

Of the Healthiest Cities in the Country
Cases Of Throat Diseases Few.
The discussion Of the smoke question
having raised question as to the healthi.
ness OF Butte and its effect from sanitary
standpoint, q visit was paid to Health OF
ticer Leavitt yesterday afternoon as the
best authority on vital statistics Of the
city. He was found at his office on East
Broadway. and courteously devoted .
hall hour from his practice to afford the
necessary information on being acquainted
with it's object. To request for the
facts as to the death rate in Butte, he re
piled:
"Butte is one OF the, ii not the healthi
est city in America, according to The
figures. am furnished with tht
number OF interments every month
which take place in the three
cemeteries here. During last yeal
there were 224 people buried there. II
assume the population OF Butte to be 25,
000-and by that we must include all The
surrounding camps, for all send their dead
to be buried there, except the few shipped
away-the death rate per thousaLd il
1896. III you estimate the population
which furnishes occupants for these ceme
taries at $4,000, which I am inclined te
think nea. er correct, the death rate is only
1880 per thousand, and that is q showing
that cannot be made anywhere else on the
continent"
Have you any thing to show how thii
compares with other places?'
Nothing later, OF course, than the NOR
tality statistics for 1887, which may b,
regarded as near enough for the purpose o
general comparison. According to them
the death rate OF Boston was 24.90; thai
OF Newark. 23.40; that of st. Louis, which
| is always Dragging OF it's healthiness, q "a
| that OF San Francisco, where so many o
our residents go for health, is 17.S6, fha
of Chicago is 19.43, aud that OF st. Paul i
1898. By this you can see that Butte ha
| the lowest percentage OF mortality OF al
these and they are certainly average 10
stances"
| what proportion OF these deaths ii
Butte were naturalY'
ssThere were 43 violent deaths of on
kind and another which reduces the death
| from what are called natural causes to 281
| OF course / have no record of those peopl
who died here whose bodies were sent away
but do not think the number would max
any material increase in the death rate"
DO they bring people from other place
to be buried in the Butte cemeteries ?"
''They do, believe. Among the peopl
buried there last year are some from Jel
ferson County and from Deer Lodge"
| Have you any record OF the deaths a
various ages last year?'
| "Yes. Under years age there were 134
4 O. 4 n ~
Is to 20, z; from 20 to 80. 4S; from 81
60, IS; from so to 20. s; from 70 to 80, z
from SO to 80, ]. In this Cinnamon ar
not counted"
"As to the smoke about ;ch so muc
talk has been INDUCED in lately, doctor
what is your opinion as to it's influence o
public health?'
1.-THE smoke is theoretically Harmless
though thief cts might be the other way
1t might be irritating to weak throats an
lungs, though am not prepared to stat
it has exhibited such tendency here. Th
smoke is nothing new in Butte. We hav
it here every winter, and you see froI
these statisticssI have given you that tn
best proof in the world OF the healthines
OF Butte is it's low death rate. OF cours
the unpleasantness OF the smoke is unde
niable, but until some other evidence is a
hand than we have at present it has appal
entity had no injurious effect on the publ
health"
"Are throat ;seases prevalent?"
well, l am aware at present of just al
cases OF diphtheria in the district frou
East Park street to Meaderville having ot
Cured lately. OF these three died, an,
| the fate OF one is still uncertain. Variou
physicians are attending them. Their
have also been five cases OF membraneou
Group of which l know, two of them bein
| IN my own practice. It is becoming tn
| opinion OF the profession that membrane
GUS Group and diphtheria of the laryn.
| are identical. Diphtheria is generated b,
| filth, but there have to be the germs. w
| read OF it in the books as having an epi
demie form in some years, and then no
| recurring again for long time after
| wards.'
Upon the whole do you regard the pres
| eEt condition as healthy?"
Eyes. During last month the deaths wer
mostly from pneumonia, which is alway
most prevalent in winter. In that montl
there were 13 interments in the cemetery o
| children under 6 years OF age; 4 under 10;
nnder 10; from Is to 20 none; from 20 t,
80, 4; from 80 to 40, 3; from 40 to so, 8
from so to so, 3; from 60 to 70. 1, an,
from 20 to so, l."
Have you any record of he causes O
death?"
NO, but there ought to be. The cause q
death ought to be reported to me before
| burial certificate should be granted. Th
| size OF the city and the public safety de
mand this. 1t is the rule in all the, larg
| cities and win have to be instituted here.