The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-01-04
GREAT INJUSTICE DONE.
On ANY Fair Method Of computation
Richmond is - Healthy City.

Richmond is - Healthy City.
Editor Times: As Il matter OF justice to
myself. md. what 1 deem of far greater
importance. Justice 90 the city OF Rich
mond. / respectfully ask space FOR the
following:
Several months ago, at the request OF
the Committee on Health, prepared a
paper dealing with the health statistlcs'
In which 1t was my object TO snow ihal
great Injustice is lone the city Of Rich
mond in making IL appear one OF tne
most unhealthy cities in the country. in
this paper / was misled by accepting a
method which / believed TO be correct.
therefore frankly acknowledge what
was said Of Il I'm your paper of the loth
instant by the Board OF Commerce, win
perhaps more truth n courtesy, that /
was wrong. and I'm doing 50 wish TO with
draw fully and freely anything III II
which may have reflected on others; nut
that the fact. which am convinced II Il
fact. that Richmond. on any falr methoo
of computation Of It's health STATISTICS Is
az healthy as any other city I'm the coun-
try. may be made apparent. submit tne
following for the consideration OF all AR
minded men who may take an interest IN
the subject:
In examining our health table my at
tention Is attracted by the large number
Of deaths recorded which were never
cOunte1 I'm our census
1st. Five hundred and forty-two @l2
deaths under one year Of age.
"a. Two hundred and seven cOD deaths
under five years Of age.
30. Another factor coming under tnls
head is contained I'm the number OF deaths
of people moving into the city between
census and census. Estimate TINS class NJ
one hundred 900 a year.
4th. Another class. those coming 10 our
city from other communities desperately
diseased. hoping to profit by the superior
skfu Of our physicians i'm their various
specialties. do not think one hundred
200 deaths a year a large estimate ivr
this class.
Allow this TO be the average in each
class. and we have i'm ten years between
census and census. nine thousand Iyu,
hundred and ninety @ 4sO deaths re'oluc"
which were never counted IN our pOpula-
ton, an being factors i'm our deatn az
computed on the census OF 1871 Nh''" -
S1.3SS. of which they constitute no part
vuI mention several other classes
counted i'm our death rate. and a part Oh
which are counted IN our census, ilthouHH
thcy have no bearing on the healthfulncss
OF the city.
J. Ey accident. l find recorded sky
eight GSl deaths for the year.
,. Homicide. seven O).
3. Suicide. one I'D.
4. A resolution was before the Couhcli
a short time ago, 10 emove the aims
house beyond the corporate limits, d pom
cy. l am told, adopted by mary other
cities. Had this resolution preVilleu' d.
though / am unable 70 see no" the
healthfulness Of our city would be aHected
by its being on one side or the other Oh
Bacon Quarter Branch. its removal would
nave eliminated from our death LIST one
hundred and sixty u60). The hgures 1
have given. one thousand and twenty-five
O.025). improperly used as a measure OIL
our healthfulness. amount TO nearly one
half OF the deaths recorded IN lS5Z, TWO
thousand one hundred and ten, C,llV). &C
cording 10 estimate given, nine thoosahu
four hundred and ninety @'@v) deaths
will occur between census and census
constituting no part of either census
being counted in neither. yet they are
made a factor in calculating our death
rate on the census OF 1881. 3S- OF whlch
they constitute largely over 10 per cent
In other words. nine thCLsand four nun
dred and ninety Cs,490) persons are 10 De
taken out dead from cur population OF
i.3SS. in which they were never counted
living.
The facts given. | think. are Sufficient
10 make one discredit our death report
as a measure Of the healthfulness Of our
city. even If the census OF 1850 were cor
rect: but We all believe IL was far below
the truth. and il | had time and space /
think | could show reasons why. Win the
best intentions, IL lis next 10 impossnie
10 be accurate IN this matter, especiiHy
I'm our colored population. In the frost
elaborate and thorough death report 4
have been able TO obtain. that Of Newport
Il. l., the writer says; Justice 10 'he