St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1889-02-16

|
Stewart, the actuary and vital statisticiar
of the Mutual Life Insurance Company, o.
| New York, whose business is to inquire
exclusively into the vital statistics of sec
tions of country where that company pro
poses TO establish Offices He says Of
Louisiana:
"You can ask for no better evidence OF
the fact that your general healthfulness
is now recognized as assured, than to con-
suit your best informed business men on
the significance of the action of the Con.
servative Mutual Life Insurance Company
coming into your midst. No one indica-
ton of the year has so much ENCOURAGED
them as this, because they know this com
pany speaks for the largest financial cor
poration of the world, the soundest prin-
ciple of mutually, and the most conserva-
tive business Interest. | have
already expressed my conviction that you
are destined to grow into recognition as
the great winter resort, and l now ven
ture to prophesy that, with the newly
awakened spirit of your people, you will
see before the next decade, commerce
doubled, a population increased so per
cent, and property value as will make
fortunes for those who venture as bust
ness men. have been charmed with the
river scenery, the like of which is no.
where else to be found. The many vii
lage-like plantations, with their evidences
of wealth, refnements and comfort the
broad sweep of river; the luxurious
spread of foliage the inviting stretch of
land the characteristic homes of the
wealthy are nowhere else to be seen and
with the trim, tree-shaded glistening
white cottages, go to make up panorama
such as would delight the eye of the most
travelled tourist, and put to shame the
merest suggestion of 'tstored-up disease"
The evidence of like disinterested char
acter which l will present to you is the
United States census of 1880, the completed
volumes of which are only just published
There is no other authority from which we
may draw practical conclusions the basis
is only for 1880, and, as no visitations of
epidemic scourges took place in any Sec
ton of our country that year, the standard
may be accepted as conclusive.
The errors incidental to one place are
practically common to all, and our infer
ences drawn from study of the table
presenead shonld be accepted as very
nearlfed. be 500
Afte t nts,- WE Ge u ffepeated examinations
of the BSao'S aud ssented, I am surprised to
find thass-W heaf erent localities of the
Union dSnd 'ahs v largely in the aggre-
gate to their mort, lily, the extreme, from
lowest to highest, being only 8 in 1000 of
population.
The average mortality for the whole
United States is 147O per 1000 for the
whites and 1929 for the blacks
For the white Orapon is Grof xp;+b N
mortality of 11O4 per 1000, with Mime
sofa an excellent second at II. 81, and Ar
kansas brings up the foot of the list with
a mortality of 1911, very closely pushed
by educated and scientific Massachusetts
with mortality of 1856.
For the blacks, the negro enjoys the
greatest exemption in Florida, having a
rate Of mortality in that State of II. SO per
1000. He has very hard time in Rhode
Island, where his mortality is 27.10, and
he is very much worse, and the very worst
off, under the very eye of his particular
guardian, the general government, for his
mortality in the District of Columbia is
IS 60 per 1000.
Now as to the position which Louisiana
occupies in the white list. l am very sure
that Vermont, Tennessee, Indiana and
Texas Lave each of them enviable repu-
tations for healthfulness, and favorable
of Louisiana with any of the
four would undoubtedly excite derision.
What are the facts Vermont has
white mortality of 1912 per 1000; Ten
nessee, 1921 ]; Louisiana 1915; Indiana,
1888, and Texas 1886 OF, in this group
of known healthy States, Louisiana stands
superior to two and presents only a very
fractional inferiority to the others.
The relative positions of the States in
Guiding the whole populations, are tabu-
lated and are annexed to this report, which
is submitted to you for your disposal, but
the reading will occupy too much of your
time
Vital statisticians place very much re-
lance upon the proportion of deaths of
children under five years old as indi-
alive of the good or i'll health of locality.
This is undoubtedly correct index of
fact, but its significance is, in my opinion,
incorrectly applied. The laws which ap-
ply to the health and growth of an infant
are very similar to the laws which govern
The life and growth of other things. Suit
able food and suitable protection from
effects of varying temperatures are equally
necessary in the nursery of human habi-
;ations and in the nursery of florist. The
rate of mortality of children under five
years marks with unerring finger the ig-
lorance, superstition, uncleanliness and
Indifference of grown persons, and not at |
Ill the conditions of climate An index,
indeed, of moral fault on part OF people,
out of little intent in reference to the |
'alubritv of locality.
0ufc;Io If 1orro oi%ioo ~ he r,,ro1 w |
,ions of the State, the deaths from that |
Universal disease, consumption, and the |
leaths of persons having passed beyond
ninety five years of life is, in my opinion,
he truest and best exponent of the climatic
conditions and life possibilities of any
,iven place.
Typhoid fever is now generally accepted
o be dependent upon the purity of the
thinking water supply, and is a matter of
ocal or individual prevention.
MalariAl fever tells the sanitarian of |
lndrained soils, impure water for
rinking purposes and individual neglect
Without reference to other agencies which
ring about those paroxysms of fever
which are designated by this name, I
dvance the commonly accepted doctrine
hat the most potential factor in the origin
t this disease is humid soil, and there
ore, the percentage of mortality from this
isease is hardly at all due to the climatic
auses, but to imperfect or impossible ter
estrial dryness.
It is unnecessary to appeal to your
ledicai men for confederation of this
tatement. You know it's truth your
elves, every one of you, I venture to say,
rom personal experience. Examples con-
rming the truth of my assertion are of
ally occurrence.
Returning to official figures, and now
the large cit les, we arrive at
ables which meet our purpose-the rela-
we salubrity of the rural portion of each