Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-10-13
THE oIPHTheRIA SITUATION.
Only Two Cases. but Four Deaths Since
saturday-EfFect Of Cold Weather.


Only Two Cascs. but Four Deaths Since
saturdsy-Enect Of Cold Weather.
The total number of cases of diphtheria
reported to the Office of the Board OF
Heaitn Tor the week ending Saturday
nignt, was thirty-two, and the number Of
deaths seven.
The total number of new cases reported
for the twenty -four hours ending Saturday
night was nine, and the number Of deaths
two.
For the forty-eight hours ending at
O'CLOCK last night two new cases and four
deaths from the disease had been reported
to the Health Department as follows:
New ,ccases-Clarence Cosby, 11O6 west
Marshall lwhite), eighteen years; Sally
Mosbys child, s33 Williams street (col
orodl, one and half years.
Deaths-Alice Fitzgerald, 40 east CARY
Swh,te), seven and q half years; Francis
years.; Josephine Mcdaniel, 339 soutt
Laurel (white), two and half years; Johr
Rels. "a south Laurel (wbite), four years
The new cases are said to be of mildel
| type.
At first glances their last comparativ,
| f1gures would not seem to argue favorably
for the abatement Of the disease. but wher
facts and authorities are arranged they dc
not argue unfavorably. With the advent
| OK cold weather the question is asked wha
ehect Will 1t have upon diphtheria? Tha
y d question no one can answer. for If au
thorities and facts and experience prov,
| anything 1t is that the disease Is capri
| cious.
For the nine months and twelve day
ending yesterday Of the years 1890 ant
1891, respectively. the comparative jiph
theria mortality was as follows:
1890. 1891
DcatnH.s. ......................Zf 90
The total number Of deaths from tn,
disease Tor the entire ysar 1890 was, how.
ever, 1i-most OF them occurring after DC
| tober 18th.
COLD WEATHER AND DrPHTHEEIA.
AHIGH AUTHORITY.
Sir Moroll Mackenzie, one Of the highes
authorities living on throat affections, in
prize essay on diphthesia, after stains
thattt lis probable that dampness favor
the development" of the contagion. says
1T occurs in the tropics, but does no
appear TO have been noticed in the Arctl'
regions. In Great Britain the disease hal
| generally been prevalent III districts wer'
| the rainfall is great. Until recently
the extension of the disease wa.
considered to be independent o.
the season, but the observations o.
Wilmer and Thursfeld tried to show il
prevails more extensely during the winter
months than at any other period of the
year. 1t has ragged through th'
whole round Of the year in spite OF the
| most varied chsnges of weather and tenn
perIsure.' Next an importanc,
| 10 age as predisposing cause seemed u
come family susceptibility. The liability
| TO attack members of certain families /!
we'll proved. OF the truth Of this latter
assertion therc have been several sad illus
trations in Richmond.
RIcuMoSDs EXPERIENCE.
But what has been the experience o
| Richmond as regards the disease being {
coid-weather affection and the effects Of
| rainfall upon its development?
| In 1887 the city had bad visitation o
dipththeria, which began to decrease IL
| the latter part of November and disap
peared in December. For these tw,
| months the mean temperature and rainfall
! We're as follows:
| Temperature. Inches.
| Noyember..... 49.7 2.f0
December - ~ 4.0I
| In 1890, as stated, the heaviest mortality
| of the year occurred after the 18th Of DC
| tober. and the mean temperature and rain
| fall for the three months-October, No
| vember, and Decem ber-were:
Mean Rainfall
temperature. Inches.
| October . Uo.O2 900
| n lyember - $40 IL
| DocemDer .. 4t2 3.2l
| Taking the guarded way in which tn
| authorities speak Of the condition tina
propagates aud spread the disease. togethe
| with the figures given. and there woul'
certainly appear no occasion tor alarm q
| the approach of cold weather, especial
as the city il in better sanitary conditio
than It has been for years.
IL addition to what has been presente'
/ above l. may he sad that there are mum
,tr or physicians in the city who hol
that the position that cold weather Is fa
yorable to the development of the cor
| tagion is entirely untenable. and when eA
perencc teaches them that II anything IN
reverse Is true.
THE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE.
Superintendent Fox said yesterday tha
the prevalence of the disease, when Il
| thought was growing mlldcr. had not ma
| a great deal of affect upon the pupiis tina
had really begun to attend school. In
average attendance last week was yer
| good. With the exception of the Two West
End schools there has not been any grea
decrease in the enrolment as compare
! with last year.
THIRIY-sEyEN DEATHS LAST WEEK.
There were thIrty-seven deaths in Ricl
! mnnd last week. of which eighteen wer
| white and nineteen colored. Annual rat
of NOR iality per 1000 White, 1921; co
ored, 2G.63-total 200.
cause Of Dtafh Apoplcxy, | white and
| .I Rrff 1 u
ot womb. white; cerebro spinal menlr
! gifts, white; consumption. > white and
| colored; commissions. white aud co
| ored; congestive chill. colorei; d
arrhua. l colored diarrhUa (chronic
white: diphtheria, 4 white and
colored; dropsy general, coored
! dysentery (chronicl, white; eiectrlc-cal
colored; typhoid-fever, colored; heart
disease. white; infantlcide (probably),
colored: insanity. colored: marasmus.
colored; pneumonia. | cOlored; shock,
, coiored; suppression OF urine, white
teetL.ng. | colored; unknown, coloreC
ser and Color: Males. white and 10 co
ored females, II white and c0lored.
Locaity: Marshall Ward, white and
| colored: Madison Ward. l white; Cia
Ward. white: jefferson Ward. whit
and colored; Monroe Ward, white an
Z colored: jackson Ward. 3 white and
colored; Almshouse. white and co
ored; City Jail. colored.
Aqfs: day to 80, 2 colored l month {
G, white and colored; months to H.,
white: wear to 3. 2 white and 3 colorcd
3 years to 5, white aud colored; 8 veal
to 10. 2 colored; 10 years to 20. white en-
colored: 20 years to 80. white and co
ored; 80 years to 10. 2white and i.colored
20 years to so, white and colored; |
years to GO, white; GO years to 10, whit
Comparative weekly mortality for wee
ending October 10. 1891, Is white and
colored Tor week ending October ii, loy
n white and u colored.
RainfaA: For week ending October Il
1891, O.73 inch; for week ending Octob'
IL, 1880, O.06 inch.
Temperature For week ending Octobt
10, 1891, G7'43; for week ending October
1890, 1926.
Numbtr Of Vis,ts Made BY Physicians Il
Poor: First district, 33; Second distrlc
&c; Third district. 81 Fourth district, z
COVERCO WITH FLOWERS.