Evening star., 1893-11-22
MEN LIVE LONGER.
Health Officer Hammett's Report
on the City's Health.
DEATHS WORK FOR A YEAR.
The Grip and Other MaIadies That
Wrought Destruction.
THE ENCOURAGING FIGURES.

Health Officer Hammett's annual report
submitted TO the District Commissioners
today contains much interesting informa-
ton concerning the health of the District
during the past fiscal year
one OF the phases Of the hygienic con-
ditlons Of the year." he says. yves the re-
turn OF what is known as epidemic in
nuenza- So little of the etiology and psth-
ology Of this disease is known that a def-
mite name Is not as yet given TO It. IL
made Its appearance for the fourth time
since its advent in 1SS9-90. Although AZ
presented all the characteristics which at
tended It's former attacks, yet IL had evil
dently lost much OF its virulence Hence
the number OF deaths this year were less
than In the three former years Of its pres
| ence.
Since the last appearance OF this plague
In 1879 its etiology and biological Character
nave received close erd exhaustive study
by some Of the most eminent students in
the world. BY the aid of mooern apnl-
ances Its mysterious presence and move
ments have been. in a great measure.
cleared away.
The epidemic appeared in the DISTRICT
OF Columbia in December. 1885, and the first
oeath occurred on the 3lst day of that
month 1t Increased in intensity during
January and subsided in the early spring.
causing loS deaths In its course In the
| Following year IL did not make its appear-
ance TO any noticeable extent until lats
In March. 1891, when IT exceeded its former
bounds, Affecting the whole community.
more or less, and reaching its maximum
In the middle Of April subsiding upon the
auent OF summer heat in June Ii then
claimed l2 victims. Its course the next
4 W1G a limos
one but less in the virulence Of its attacks.
1t carried away lI3 persons During the
last year 1t again made its presence known
In March, reaching its height in April ana
disappearing in .he first week In Juna
causing but 73 deaths
| FROM the study and experience draxn
therefrom of this malady the follow hsy
general principles have been drawn by
tnose who may be considered authority a
the subject. Its attack is generally sudden
ana severe, attacking the cerebro-spinaI
Gehters ana then the pneumo-gastric nerve
rs.o raesce uhe disturbance in the gastric
regions resulting in gastritis enteritis and
| catarrhal complications, which will account
Ior the numerous cases of pneumonia as =
sequel thereto. Its power of Infection is
ABOUT eight days. and is undoubtedly trans
| ferable from one person TO another The
aged and infirm are the most liable TO be
attacked and IL is well understood thai
one attack does not fortify against a sec
]
tlon OF intense power of Resistance LAYS
the patient liable to relapse, although A. IA
conceded that community once seriously
invaded obtains a partial degree of i'm
munity therefrom. As exposure 10 damn
ana lnclement weather predisposes 70 This
ailment the prophylactic measures TO be
opserNeo = are warmth dryness and careful
BY reference to the tabular statements
/ A. and G, hereto annexed a will be
ss seen that while there was an increase in
ehe uotaI number OF deaths, there was. on
account OF the increase in population, no
increase in the death rate. The total ex-
cess OF mortality over that Of the previous
year nearly all occurred in the month OF
/ July, 1917, when the number of deaths WAS
| KS, as compared with $50 In the preyious
July. This mortality in July was the high
est ever recorded in any month since the
organlzation OF this department. and was
ehcepuonal IN every respect there being
no especial cause therefor apparent but
simply one OF those condolences that han
pen In the history OF a community. The
! death rate for the rest OF the year was lust
ABOUT normal, as compared with preceding
I years.
Mortality for the Year.
The total mortality for the year wa
6.452, OF which number 3677 We're white
and 2.1IS were colored. The death rate for
the whites was ISIS per thousand of popu-
lation and 3o.s for the colored. For the
whole population the rate was 226
THE length of human life. in view OF all
that science has accomplished. has been
slightly increased during the last thirteen
years. Beginning in 1851 with a length OF
twenty-sx and one-half wears for all ages
and coming down through the subsequent
years With slightly varying rate. but with
/ lengthening tendency. the average for all
ages was twenty-seven years and eleven
months for the last year. as compared with
an average duration OF twentv-seven years
and eight months mean for the past thir-
direction. However slow il may be, yet, II
continued, IL may in time bring the length
( of life to the traditional thirty-three years
] OF average existence in this District. The
average has undoubtedly been kept down
by the rate of infant mortality. The re-
suits nevertheless show clearly that a fixed
law governs life and ends it, With a NOR
/ tality amounting TO a number Of thousands
annually, Of all ages OF persons and diff
| fering in age sex and condition. yet when
classified IL is found that the average age
/ Of the departed varies from wear to year
| but few weeks. The same law prevails
as TO the subdivisions by ages. those
under five years. from five TO twenty years.
and sixty years and over. So settled ts
/ this law that the mortality for the future
can be forecast and calculated almost TO an
absolute certainty. subject for the stu
dent of race problems and for philanthropic
consideration is TO be found In the differ
/ cree Of eleven years between the average
| ages of the white and colored that OF the
colored being twenty-five years as against
1 thirty-three years for that OF the white.
Zymotic Diseases.
From this class OF diseases. embracing
/ the infectious and malarial maladies, there
/ were BIS deaths. composing 20.S per cent
/ of the deaths from all causes. The greater
| portion of these, being l.ls0 in number.
were of miasmatic origin, while from the
1 same class in the year before there were
! ll57 of such deaths. As against former
years malarial maladics show no especial
Increase. and typhoid fever declined I'm
fatal form. Nearly one-third OF all the
/ children under five years of age who died
1 from zymotic diseases were from ailments
I of this class, there having been 746 alto
gether OF these, Of whom 395 were white
and 35l colored.
Diphtheria.
There were 126 deaths from diphtkeria
( and two from diphtheritic Group. classsd
as diphtheria proper. on account of its
dangerous character the progress OF this
disease was closely observed during the
year. Especially was this made obligatory
when the disease progressed at a rate Of
about one death out Of three cases. as
suming in the spring time an aggravated
Z character, when eleven deaths out of thir-
teen cases occurred. The law OF Congress
4 providing for d special service for diph-