Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-12-07
HEALTH OFFICER nAMMrrr.
His First Annual Report Hsnded - sAs n
trtct COMMIT aaioo~rA

DATES BIRTHS AND MARRIAGES. prRno Yus
rfAR-woRk or THE VARIOUS sunnAus uxprD
HIS oosrRoL-rHK DAMAGE srRvrcr-ruu
GRIP rrrDENlc TREATED or AT sons LzSern
Health Officer HAmmest to-day handed 70 tAs
Commissioners the annual report Of the WORN
ings Of his Office for the fiscal year ending June
80, 1891
In submitting the statement the usual forus
are followed, exhibiting in detail the va
amount OF labor performed All calculations
OF percentages are based on an estimst<d
population Of 250. 600 for the District
The various tables and statements are rfvsn
seriatim, comprehensive remarks ana conn
parsons preceding each. Comments a -
cause OF increase or decrease In the number az
births, deaths, marriages. percentage Ac.. srs
omitted, as DIR. Hammett says he did not an
the position OF health officer during the period
embraced IN the report Statements A b and
appear first IN the report Table A ciyes the
total number of deaths for the wear as 721
an increase over the previous year Of l56. Tie
oeaths OF white persons numbered 8. lOs. Of
colored ASIA the annual death rate being FOR
white. 1919 per cent for the colored so q per
cent
Statement d is a statement for the wear end
ing June 50, 1870 OF the same character 40
parlson. Statement c shows the populataou.
deaths and death rates for the sixteen wears
ending June 30, 1891.
SYNOPSIS OF WORK rrRroRxrp
Inc following is q synopsis Of the work per.
formed In the various branches of the service
during the year:
There were ls,S04 nuisances reported. az Ss2
pounds of meat. u.s. ala pounds OF fish. u 5sssl
bushels OF fruit and vegetables. 2.545 bushels u
IL
demned as unfit for food.
Examinations and reports we're made on 8, ice
citizens complaints.
There we're ASA animals impounded and
s.slv dead animals were removed from the
| Streets a.6sS tons of garbage and 1861 bar
rels OF night soil we're also removed
me physicians 10 the poor treated Is 90
patients, and 6.S7s burial permits were issued.
during the year lsl6s1f pounds Of beef we're
condemned, against 2, 5O4 pounds the preyious
year. Further comparisons show a decided a.
| crease in condemnations
In table submitted q large difference In The
numbers OF shad and herring reported in
spee aa, Is shown, the number OF shad reaching
4ls,SSl IN 1880 and 7,6s9 in 1891. The her
ring show still greater decrease there bav.
ing peen e,264. as inspected in 1850, against
4-sS5, $50 In 1881. An increase of S. 53i bunches
OF hsh, however, Is shown, while there are de-
| creases In the number Of sturgeon ov.te,.
clans and crabs inspected
| vi The concentrations there were increases
curing leyO ~ AS follows: shad, $50; herring.
5o,uVO; punches Of fish, $50; bushels of oys-
ters l,s2s; number Of clans, % $50, and de-
crease of 81, $50 crabs. Table 4 also submitted
presents an interesting statement of the sery-
ices rendered by the physicians 20 the poor i'm
attending to the physical ailments of the un-
fortunate sick poor of the District This table
Is given by months and shows the number Of
patients treated, their color, number of yisits
and Office Consultations and cost of med,cipes
FURNISHED. During the year Is. 23s patients
were treated, the cost Of medicine furnished be-
ing s2,62525.
DIPHTHERIA AND SCARLET FEVER
In referring to this branch Of the service Or.
Hammett says that in view Of the short time 10
has been In operation il is impossible TO mako
an intelligent report as 20 lite merits or de-
merits. Ii has imposed,upon the Office an adj
oltonal amount of work beyond comprehen-
| SION The display of placards as required.
under the act has caused some feeling Against
the agents Of the health Office and the author
oil the law by storekeepers whose business 10
interiered with by sdch display.
Inc inspector frequently meets with OPPOSE
non, and as At Is a new Law, in preference to
prosecuting offenders for violation of its
provisions moral suasion has been resorted 20,
IN most instances having the desired effect
Public sentiment. however, he says, fully in
dorses the law. The number OF cases reported
from the date of passage of the law 20 June
80 1881, was: Diphtheria. 2S7; scarlet fever 227.
| Dr. Hammett says that in his ext annual re-
port he will treat of this subject at length
he urges that a new contract tor the removal
OF garbage must be contaminated on or before
| June 30, 1892.
DEATHS DURING THE TEAR.
During the year there occurred 5,72o deaths
in the District or these 1857 where white
males, 1,409 white females, 1885 colored males
| and l,Sl9 colored females. There were .206
deaths from zymotic diseases. and constitu-
tional diseases caused I, 2Is deaths. Under this
head the most noticeable disease IL consump-
ton, which caused 74s deaths Local diseases
caused 2,554 deaths; development diseases.
$50; violence. 202, of whom l20 were white
| and 81 colored. Accidents and negligence
caused l49 deaths and sc persons COM
| United suicide-33 white and colored.
The number OF suicides the previous year was
| -. There were 4,344 births reported during
| the year, of which 2,5l3 were white and 1851
colored. OF this number AGO were llegitimate
colored and 70 white. The percentage Of births
| 70 deaths was 1873. In other words there would
appear from the returns TO be only about three
fourths as many births as deaths Speaking in
general terms, he SAYS there should be an
equality between the two classes, If not an ex-
| cess of births over deaths
One thousand two hundred and eighty-nine
marriages reported during the year against
1916 in the previous year. OF these s45 were
| among whites and 34l among colored and
mixed white and colored.
THE GRIP EPIDEMIC.
The principal feature Of the years mortality
was the epidemic, influenza, says DIR. HAmmett,
which appearing in January, 1880, almost dis
appearing at the close Of winter made its re-
turn in severe form in April last, continuing
its rayages into May and advent Of summer
weather
A noticeable phase Of the epidemic was lie
tendency TO superinduce other diseases of g.
we're and fatal character and thus TO greatly in
crease the death rate. Directly it caused ap-
parently only eighteen deaths. but commencing
In the usual form, IL terminated in lung and
brain maladies, which added 100 In 1890 and l62
in 1891 to the death list, liz of which were by
pneumonia alone. Diagrams representing the
course of this epidemic in the fatal cases in the
years ls90-lS9l have been prepared, giving
sequele therefrom in detail, showing together
with the average number of DAYS during the
last illness, under that head. This influenza
appeared in London IN 1889 Its course was
from east to west Beginning in Russia in Oc-
tober, 1859, il advanced into Germany and
thence into France in November following and
crossing the seas broke out in the large cities
of this country in the winter Of 1880. Whether
carried by the wind or following the linss Of
travel crowded with human beings has been q
matter of difference of opinion Undoubsedly
contact with the sick and articles Of apparel,