Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-04-12
HEALTHY TOWNS.
A MARKED REDUCTION IN STATE
MORTALITY.
The Lowest Death Rate of any State
in the Union-Infiux of Con-
sumptives-Etc.

| uiduOn Oh l4l,ouU, give, IN the aggregate
9O7 deaths, which is percentage of 3.
| per thousand in the month. or an annua
death rate of IA So per annum. If we com
pare this percentage with that of any othel
State within the Union, we will at once
begin to realize the salubrity of our climate
! and the lesseDed tendency 10 death thai
! exists within its borders There is hardl,
| State that can be named whose death rat
| for the month of March comes within l pei
cent, of our average, and when we refiec
| that per cent. means ten thousand lives
spared in each million persons per annum
we no longer wonder at the large number
OF emigrants that seek our shores.
| The following towns report no deaths in
| March: Bodie, Dixon, Downieville, Liver
more, Wheatland, North Bloomfield, Rock
In, Rosevllie, Lincoln, and Georgetown.
PREVAILING DISEASES.
| Reports of sickness from seventy-nine
| localities show remarkable absence of any
| epidemic, or indeed of any prevailing dis
ease, II we may except pneumonia, bron-
chitis and influenza. which were very gen.
| eral in their diffusion, but of a mild type
] and sporadic character. The temperature
of the month being much warmer than
what we usually experience in March, and
| the rainfall being somewhat in excess, NAV
have had a modifying influence upon the
| character OF these diseases, as it has been
| clearly shown that the prevalence of coughs
| colds, bronchial and rheumatic affections
| depends very much upon temperature, q
very moist atmosphere accompanied by a
| low temperature being conducive to their
| frequency, an increase of temperature les
SEEMING their fatality. TWAS noticed during
| the month that when the atmosphere was
| dry and the temperature low, an increase
of acute pneumonia was developed, and in
| the higher attitudes it seemed to determine
| the fatality. The connection between me-
neurological conditions and diseases is still
a problem to be solved, and appears to be
worthy the attention of every votary OF
| science whose mission is to consider all the
| influences affecting the public health.
| Pneumonia is mentioned in reports from
Sacramento, San Francisco, Oakland, Val
| lejo, Dixon, Downieville, Napa, Castroville
Anderson, Redding, Lakeport, Tulare, Mer-
ced, Hanford, Angels Camp, Etna Mills
Fort Bidwell, College City, Fresno, Clover
| dale, Chico, Oroville, Santa Ana, San Diego
Grass Valley and Red Bluff, where DR.,
John Fife noticed it was very prevalent
Bronchitis was also noted by its fire.
quency in Downey, Williams, Lodi, Lee
moore, Wheatland, Redding, Tulare, Sa-
linas, College City, Cedarville, Los Angeles
| Brownsville and San Francisco.
Whoopingcough is observed in Lodi
Tulare, Angels Camp, Brownsville, Fresno
| Oakland and Auburn where Dr. Rooney
writes it prevails extensively.
Cholera infantum is almost absent from
| the State. A case or two was observed in
Knights Ferry, Lemoore, Napa and Sacra-
mento. The frequency of this disease de-
pending more upon alterations of tenn
perature, and especially upon a continuous
| high temperature, we would not expect a
very great prevalence of it at this season oil
| the year.
Diarrhea and dysentery are also men
| toned but seldom in the monthly reports
There were some cases observed in Wheat.
land. Lemoore, Tulare, Etna Mills, Fresno
Red Bluff, Gridley, Cotton and San Diego
but generally speaking it is not at all q
! prominent disease in the State at present
A few cases of measles were noticed in
| Lincoln, Wheatland, Truckee Livermore
Angels Camp, Etna Mills and Oakland.
Scarlet fever was present in Igo, lone
Tulare, Salinas. Dixon, Oakland, San Fran
! cisco, Fresno, Santa Ana, and Sacramento
As the tendency to infection from this dis.
ease lessons with advancing years, the
! longer child can be protected from it the
| greater the likelihood that it will escape il
entirely. To attain this desirable end it is
absolutely necessary to isolate patients as
| soon as the disease is discovered; and this
| isolation must be maintained until the
| shedding of the epithelium or outer skin
| is completed. 1t is a well known fact that
| scarlet fever patients are most dangerous ia
! others when the skin is beginning to des.
| quamate or peel off. During this time thew
| should be frequently bathed, and their skin
| afterward anointed with fresh lard or other
animal oil which will hinder the dissemina.
ton of the branny scales Children ex.
| posed to scarlet fever should remain unde,
| observation ten or twelve days before being
| allowed to mingle with other children, and
| all attendants On the sick should change
| their garments, and disinfect their hands
| face and hair by washing in a disinfectant
| solution before mixing with the public. Ii
must not be forgotten that the type of the
| disease in one person is not certain to re-
produce the same in another, as what is sc
| mild as scarcely to confine to bed in one
person, may communicate q poison to an
other that will be so very malignant as &c
| cause death in a few hours. 1t is therefore
| the part of prudence to confine the spread
of the disease to within as small a radius
| as may be possible. To determine the mos
infective period of the disease, DR.. Whit
legge. of London. analysed LOO cases, O
| which he had exact particulars, and founC
the Effectiveness suddenly decreased a
abouC the sixth day, increased again abou
| the twelfth day, and reached its maximum
on the sixteenth day.
Diphtheria continues TO be noted in sey
eral localities, but in no place has it as
sumed epidemic proportions In Sar
| Francisco twenty-five cases were reported
during the month, which indicates 6
marked decrease in the frequency of The
disease there. II is also reported in An
burn. Castrovilie, Cloverdale, Colfax
| Truckee, Redding, Anderson, Downey, Tu
| lare, Salinas City. ST.. Helena, Grass Valley
| Los Angeles and Oakland. In many O
these localities the cases were returned a.
Group, which are here included in the term
| diphtheria. modern experimental path
| ology tending unequivocally to show their
! identity. Many of our reports mention a
prevalence of sore throat, which may be OF
may not be diphtheritic, as it is now ascer
| tanned that the presence of membrane is
| not essential to constitute true diphtheria
| il being many times expressed without its
local manifestation in the throat, but ap.
parent in the swollen cervical glands.
Erysipelas is mentioned as appearing in
sporadic form in Downey, Truckee. Lee
/ moore. Tulare, College City, Cedarvile, Oak.
| land and San Francisco.
Typhoid fever is net prevalent in any To-
cality. Our reports for the past month sre
singularly free from this mention. In San
Francisco and Oakland a few cases are
noted; also in Alameda, Etna Mills, Col
fax. Los Angeles and Red Bluff.
| Typhoid malarial fever was observed in
| Cottonwood, Lodi, Anderson. Igo, Tulare
College City, Fresno, knights Ferry and
Gilroy. The type was very mild and the
mortality nominal.
Small. pox still continues to show itself
here and there within the State. In San
[ Francisco three cases were reported, one oil
| whom came from Portland, Oregon, one
from San Rafael, and one from Sacramento
In Hanford. Tulare county, one case az.
peared on the 18th of the month. This
was followed by two others in the same
dwelling; all were of the continent variety
no other cases have IS yet developed
| There is one case in Truckee, which is con-
| valescing DIR. J Q. Wrenn writes that the
disease has entirely disappeared from
/ Placerville, and DR.. G. A. Ruggles assures
| us that there is not a single case in Stock
| ton or vicinity. No other reports of small
pox have been received. and we hope soon
To record the fact that it is absent from the
State.
MORE PUBLIC SPIRIT.