Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1895-01-05
TIE REALrH OFFICER
Makes Statement IN Connection with
the Report.

the Report.
WHEELING, ". Va, January 4, 1895.
Tot Eduor Of me Rsois,-:
SIR; In submitting my annual report of
vital statistics for the city of Wheeling for
the year ending December 3lst, 1894, it af-
fordS me great satisfaction TO say that the
annual death rate of 1855 Is the lowest ever
published since this Office was established
ia 1865, and is lower than that of other
cities having the same population in this
country with one or two exceptions, and
much lower than the rate of similar cities
in Europe.
This certainly is very gratifying TO every
person in the city of Wheeling. IL shows
that the efforts made by the Health De-
partment are meeting with success; that
the enforcement of sanitary measures, not
withstanding that they piuch severely
sometimes, are telling In the right ditec-
ton. Lowering the death rate is the direct
result and the great beneht we receive
from rigid enforcement Of strict sanitary
regulations. The sanitary laws of this
city are ouly tolera0ly good. Many feat
ures of cur regulations need overhauling
and amending, aud until this is done we
must suffer from this source.
Diphtberia, the most dreadful of all dis
eases, continues its ravages, carrying of
annually very large number of our young
citizens THIS will continue until our reg
ulatiOus will allow US 10 quarantine every
affected house, and IN case of death FROM
CONTAGIOUS or infections compel the dead
TO be Inferred Immediately and privately,
and no funerals. Several instances IN
this city occurred during the last year,
where funerals of persons dying OF diph-
iberia were followed by one or two more
deaths contracted at the funerals.
Notwithstanding apparent neglect OF
duty in this city, our death rate for diph-
iberia is lower than that Of many other
cities of America.
The death rate for the State of New
York for 1894 was 50 in loo, coo. Our death
rate is 81 in 10000, which is good show
ing. Again, diphtheria occurs mostly in
cities, aud our rate is from the city alone,
while New York is from the entire State.
We are frequently asked why IL is that we
do not have in Wheeling the new. remedy,
aEti-toxine, and some our people feel that
/ physicians OF this city are not as energetic
in this direction Us circumstances require.
Our daily papers continue to print reports
from interior towns, where medical men
have treated thirty, and even forty con-
secutive cases without the loss of a single
case bv the use Of the new remedy. Physi-
clans here are naturally very skeptlcal
with regard 10 these reported cases in our
daily papers ana REGARD lnem as Tue
merest fabricatiOns.
The city OF Washington, p. c., has as
good health department 20 be found in
America They also have ss good physic-
ians as are found anywhere. They also
have the new remedy, auti-toxine. intro
duced there in the early fall. During the
mouth of November they had in that city
thirteen cases Of diphtheria. Cultures
were made in every case, and thu CloOs
Loefler bacillis located. Each case was
treated with the new remedy, under the
most carefule management by the
most skinful physicians. Eleven
Of these cases died, two recovered.
Our physicians here have had much better
success without anti-toxine, than tue city
of Washington has had with it. The final
criterium Of the efficacy Of the new