Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1895-01-06
TIE nEALra oFFIcEe
Makes a Statement IN Connection with
tho report

Makes Statement In Connection with
tho Report.
WHEELING, w. VA, January 4, 1895.
10 ths Editor Of the RS0Ists-:
SIR: In submitting my annual report OF
vital statistics for the city Of Wheeling for
the year ending December 3lst, 1894, IL af-
fords me great satisfaction TO say that the
annual death rate Of 1865 is tue lowest ever
published since this office was established
in 1866 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 pinch severely
sometimes, are telling IN the right difec-
tion. Lowering the death rate is the direct
result, and the great benefit we receive
from rigid enforcement Of strict sanitary
regulations. The sanitary laws of this
city are only tolerably good. Many feat
ures of Cur regulations need overhauling
and amending, and until this is done We
must suffer from this source.
Diphtheria, the most dreadful OF all dis
eases, continues its ravages, carrying Off
annually q very large number Of our young
citizens. This will continue until our reg
ulations will allow us TO 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-
liberia were followed by one or two more
deaths contracted at the funerals
Notwithstanding our 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 % in 100000. Our death
rate is 81 in 40, 900, which is good show
ing. Again, diphtheria occurs mostly in
ci ties, and our rate is from the city alone,
while New York is from the entire STATE.
We are frequently asked why it is that we
do rot have Ia Wheeling the new remedy,
anti-toxine, aud some our people feel that
physicians Of this city are not as energetic
in this direction as circumstances require
Our daily papers continue 10 print reports
from interior towns, where medlcal men
have treated thirty, and even forty con-
secutive cases without the loss OF single
case by the use CT the new remedy. Pnysl-
clans here are naturally very SkeDIlCol
with regard to these reported cases In our
daily papers and regard them as the
merest faorications.
The city OF Washington, ID. C., has as
good a health department 10 be found IN
America They also have as good physlc-
ians as are found anywhere. They also
have the new remedy, anti-toxiDe. intro
duced there in the early fall During the
month Of November they had In that city
thirteen cases OF diphtherla. Cultures
were made In every case, and the Cloos
Loeffler bacillis located. Each case was
treated with the new remedy, under the
most carefule management 0y tno
most s<illful physicians. Eleven
OF these cases died, two recoyereu.
Our physicians here have had much better
success without anti-toxiue, than the city
of Washington has had with IL. Ine hhaI
criterium OF the efficacy Of tue new
remedy, in the treatment Of diphtheria' is
experience, and the results that come 10 uI
from the very highest medical authorities
are conflicting. IL will certainly Dc a greas
disappointment if after all that mas oeen
said ana done, that the new remedy los
this dreadful disease, would fan snortol
its high expectations. Respecuullh
j. w. MCCOr
Wheeling, January !, 1895.