Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-01-23

So; in 1894, 112, and in 1895, 1875. There
were two cases Of remittent in 1893; 3S in
1894, and 1G inIlS95. During this period
there was an increase Of ID per cent In the
total numbe11 ofapatients treated and an
increase of 2e9 per cent in intermittent and
800 per cent Id sERnittent fevers.
At the EhaersEncy Hospital clinic for
general diseases-s3S cases of maiarial dis
an increase If faGbut 25O per cent, with no
great increase in the number of patients.
In many oftheee cases the diagnosis was
&C confirmed by fining the malaria Organism
reported as VonHrn.ed by blood examina-
ton, as no record was kept of this work
until late in the season Appended re-
ports from ne aof tracks snow snow
were GS cases of malarial fever) to 1888,
when there kere1 1875 cases.
The rate her / ,N00 for 1891 was %: for
1895. 100. These figures show twice as
many cases in 1895 as in 1884 and nearly
four times as many per LOCO as in 1891.
Appended reports from Fort Myer show
were in 1892 80 cases of intermittent fever;
1893, there were 152 cases; In 1884, 131
cases, and in 1895, 22S cases; an increase
of 76O per cent over 1892, and about 100
per CT mt over 1893 and 1894. This Is an in
crease Of 1000 per cent over 1891, when
there were cases, with half the number
Of men. The cases Of remittent FEVER, 90
in number, were more than three times as
numerous in 1895 as in any year, except
1892, when there were 81 cases
DIR. Reed of the Army Medical Museum
informs us that Fort Myer and the wash
ington barracks have led all military posts
in the United States in the percentage OF
malarial diseases during the present year.
Reports from the navy yard snow a
steady increase in malarial 1eVers since
1890. In 1887 per cent of the men Nv were
of fn1 IN
per cent; in $780, only per cent; IN IS?l,
per cent; in 1892, 40 per cent; In 1881, 20
per cent; in 1894, 40 per cent; IN 1895, or the
seamen, 100 per cent, and OF the marihes''o
per cent.
Here we have for number of years an
average Of about 10 per cent. and then the
percentage rises suddenly to Az, ~, ana
finally nearly to 100 in 1893.
Reports from st. EliZabeth's are to the
effect that malarial diseases have more
than doubled in the last three years. and
the same statement is received from the
Washington Asylum.
Statistics from the health Office show %
deaths from Intermittent and remittent
fevers from January l to October 81 IN
1885. and only "a deaths from the same
causes for the same months in 1S.S-4. This
is an increase of 30 per cent, in spite OF
the fact that many cases are now dag
rosed as typhoid fever which year ago
would have been called remittent fever.
ibis change of diagnosis Is shown by the
been decrease in the deaths attributed to
typho-maIarial fever from . to :. AMI this
will account for some of the increase IN the
typhoid fever death rate. IN this connec-
ton it is pertinent to call attention to an
article by Osier in the Medical News for
November 3D. 1885, on THE Practical Value
of LaVeran's Discoveries He says: The
United States census report for 1870, re-
Gently issued, which covers the six years
ending May, 1899, gives the following mum
Der of deaths from malaria, to which l add
for comparison those of typhoid fever
Malarial Typhoid
diseases fever.
Washing on. .J'J sou
Baltimore 934 9at
NV York. 1000 2,05i
Brooklyn. ............Lil5 LUZ
THAT in Baltimore, Brooklyn and New
York the deaths from malGrial fever ex-
ceeded those from typhoid will, no doubt,
be read with astoIishment Any reasonable
physician in Baltimore and Philadelphia
will at once acknowledge that death from
Tala"ial fever is a great rarity, While
deaths from typhoid are only too comnoii.'
He then takes the reports of al! The large
New York hospitals and shows that there
were not more than fur to. five deaths in
them all from malaria, and most of these
from the perntcious FORM and that the
ratio of deaths from Elalarial diseases in
the New York and Broohlyn hospitals, COM
pared with deaths from all causes, is about
l to 1,C0o.
mittee snow that maiari;l diseases have
greatly increased in all sectors Of the Dis
trict, and particularly in the northeast sec
ton. The cause Of :hiS increase at Fora
Myer is attributed to. bad water, great up
| turning Of the soil in making roads and
grading the grounds, and 10 the rank
growth CT weeds In the surrounding fields
| At the navy yard and s.. Elizabeths it is
attributed to changes made in the Anacos
| tia river three or four years ago.
Surgeon Jno. G. Wise OF The navy YARD
| says: M edical officers both at the YARD
| and receiving snip nave frequently referred
| to the increase of maarial diseases. Stree
| the partial Improvement of the fats Of tfe
| AnaCCsta river the increase has beer
| marked ana regular. Prior to The improve
| Eents it was only unu$ ,iaiiy low tidt
that the fats were uncovered, but by diver
! sion of the water into the swasf channel,
| shallow morass has been formed, verita
! bic hot bed for the generation Of malaria
| poison
| DIR. GoddiHg, superintendent Of the Gov
| eminent Hospital Tor the insane in his re
! pert, writes follows: I'm the three year
| since the mud bars were thrown up 10 cut of
the swash channel on the river front :tdjoil
irg the hospital grounds, the consumption C
| quirine by The inmates has been more thal
| doubled. " hiIe the unai1ed efforts of ia
| ture have made but sio" progress in film;
| up the broad eNpanse of nearly staEnan
| water that each low tide changes to :nu,
| that has 10 salt to SAVIOR it, and is con
slant lrenace to St. Elizabeth
|
| mentioned causes have been operative am
that climatic conditions have been unusual
| ly favorable to the development of the ma
| icr:al organism during the past year.
| The reports, however, from Washingt OF
| barracks, Fort Myer, st. Elizabeth and tn
ravy yard show that there has been
steady increase of malarial disease TO
three, four or five years, that began stimuli
taneously with the improvements to tn
Eastern branch. And while the ircreas
was greater than ever in 1898, and wa
probably due in part to unavoidable eli
matte conditions, still there is strong evi
dence, in these reports, to show that tn
condition of the Anacostia river is tn
prime factor. And when We bear in min
that there are comparatively few ind
viduals in Washington who do rot make a
least one or two river excursions durin
the summer, passing by this dangerous re
gion, usually during the night, there
good ground for believing that the Easter
branch may be responsible for many case
occurring in remote parts of the city.
| Certainly the conditions there existin
are source of much i'll health as well a
a blot on the beauty of our city Thes
conditions are remarkable and the remcd
should be applied at once, as has been don
to the Washington channel. The conditio
of the newly-made flats or parks on til
river front is also far from what it Dug:
to be. This ground for several years ha
!. | been covered with a rank growth of weed