The record-union., 1893-01-14
HEALTHFUL CALIFORNIA.
A Light Mortality List for the Month
of December.
Isolated Cases of Smallpox, With One
Death-What the Reports From
Various Places Show.

Dr. j. X. Lame, Secretary of the state
Board Of Health, in his report for Decem-
ber, states that mortality reports from l0S
cities, towns, villages and sanitary dis
tricts, having an aggregate population of
SlS, ,764, give / 1,I55 deaths from all causes
IN December. This corresponds to a
death rate of 1.4l per thousand, or 1852
per thousand per annum. There were
lS9 due to consumption, 134 to pneu-
monia, 81 to bronchitis, 6 to congestion of
the lungs, Il to diarrhea and dysentery,
IA to cholera infantum, 80 to other dis
eases Of the stomach and bowels, q to
diphtheua, Is to Group. 0 to scarletina,
to smallpox, ? to whooping- cough, a to
! typhoid fever. to cerebro-spinal fever,
40 to cancer, to erysipelas, 100 to diseases
of the heart, to alcoholism, l to la
grippe, and 467 to all other causes. lynn
otic diseases caused 1.4S per cent. of all
the deaths during the month. Decem ber
compares tavorably with the correspond
ing month of the past three years. In
! December, 1890, the death rate per thou
| sand of population was l.67, in December,
1891, 2.19 per thousand, while the past
month reached but 1.4l per thousand.
| death from smallpox was reported from
Temescal.
DR.. d. w. Mott of Santa Paula reported
| but one death from his locality. 1t oc-
Cured in female native of the Atlantic
States, aged lob years. He added in
| both smoked and chewed tobacco since l6
years of age.
PREVAILING DISEASES.
Reports Of prevailing diseases from 20
towns and sanitary districts outside of
the large cities show rs cases of pneu-
monia, 229 of bronchitis, 40 of pleurisy, &
OF congestion Of the lungs, 134 of diar-
| rhea, 36 of dysentery % of cholera NOR
| bus, of cholera infantum, 81 of diph-
! therla, 10 OF Group, 81 OF scarletna, l26 of
/ measles, of smallpox, 80 of whooping
cough, 250 of influenza, 46 of typhoid
fever, 272 of malarial fever, of cerebro-
| spinal tevers, 20 of erysipelas, l29 of acute
rheumatism, l26 of neuralgia, 1872 of ton
sllItis, and Is OF pharyngitis.
Diarrhea was very prevalent in the
vicinity of Napa in the early part of the
month, without an ascertained cause.
Scarlatina was reported epidemic at Elk
| Grove, while whooping cough was quite
prevalent at Merced and Rocklin. La
grippe was reported from thirty-two To-
calities, in some as epidemic; but it is
known to have been quite generally dis
tributed throughout the State, though in
a mllder form than observed during the
last two winters. In several of the local
tiles 1t was reported epidemic.
sMALLPoX.
Three cases Of smallpox were reported
from San Francisco. The origin of the
disease could not be determined. The
| preventive measures adopted were strict
/ quarantine by removal to smallpox hos
pital, the vaccination of all exposed per-
sons, and disintection of premises occu-
pied by the patients, where discovered.
A nOthDI. fa aSA is ranOrflH from lFraEnn au
being patient in the pesthouse, with all
precautions taken. DIR. L. 5. O'Brien of
Merced reported that DR.. Castle of his
city had informed him that he had at
tended case thirty miles east of that
place, in Mariposa County. No further
particulars have been obtained. Another
case has been reported a Swingle Station,
ten miles west Of Sacramento, very re-
Gently; source Of contagion unknown.
Strict seclusion and vaccination of ex-
posed persons are the measures that have
been adopted.
A resolution in force makes it obliga-
tory on the Secretary of the State Board
of Health to promptly notify the Secre-
taries of all other State and Provincial
Boards of Health of any cases of small
poX in the State, the object being to re-
strict the disease to the narrowest possi-
BILE limits. The code provides for notifi-
cation of all dangerous contagious OF
Infectious dlSeaSeS py 1ocd1 DOarQS Ol
health. Prompt reports of localities,
source and measures taken, will enable
the Secretary to comply with the pro-
visions of the resolution with reference
to each case OF smallpox.
Now is a good time to vaccinate. The
contemplation of the probabilities of an
Lepidemic of cholera during the coming
I summer should not dull our sensibilities
concerning other necessities. With sew
eral DOintS in the interior of the State for
smallpox to start from, it is quite prob
able that it will spread to some consider
able extent before it can be stamped out.
Too much energy cannot be employed in
this direction.