The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-11-09
Ratio Of Mortality per Thousand

| 1861 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 212
| 1867 OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 2o.2
| 1868 .........................20 2S3
| 1874 ............................32 3D.
| 1850 OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. .,.50l 55.i
| lS6b ,,,............,...,....,2l2 1915
| 1904 OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 37.5
| 1893 .".................,......183 35,5
| 1903 .......... ...l0O Z5.4
When the negroes were slaves, it was to
| the interest of their owners to keep them
under strict sanitary regulations Their
| quarters were clean and well ventilated.
| They had regular hours for work, for S p
! ing and eating; their food was simple,
| wholesome and we'll cooked, they were not
| allowd to get drunk, and marriage was in
| sisted upon. Lying in women were tender
| ly looked after by the mstresses or the
| Overseers wife. Carefully trained women,
| nursed the sick and looked after small
| children. Personal cleanliness was requir-
| ed and in case of sickness the best medical
| attention was procured. While living UNI
! der these regulations the negro was stur-
| dy and healthy, consumption and syphilis
| was rarely met with and many reached a
| remarkable old age. When toward the end
| of our civil war, the enemy over-ran the
! southern coast, the negroes left their COM
| Portable homes to follow the army. With
| out means, without provisions or shelter
| they gathered pell-mell in great numbers.
| Want misery and hunger forced them TO
| perform the most abject services. The in
| termingling of the sexes without restraint,
lead to the most revolving licen tiousness.
Syphilis spread like wild-fire, and small
| pox made fearful ravages among them.
Exposure, disease and the lack of proper
| food depressed their vital powers, conse-
quently the generation which followed
emancipation was a weakly one. Lung
diseases were the fruits of this physical
weakness and of inherited syphilis; and
to this day consumption and pneumonia
carry off the greatest number.
When the freedom of the slaves was
proclaimed, no provision having been
made by the general government to help
them, these poor people were thrown upon
their own resources, and they had no
time nor opportunity to indulge in any
sanitary or other comforts. Working by
day and often by night. they could barely
secure money enough to feed and clothe
themselves. Thousands only had clap
board or mud houses for shelter, or they
| huddled together by the dozen in rooms
barely large enough for one Had they
| been subjected to all these privations IN
! northern or western states, but few would
| have survived the ordeal. Since that time
| the more intelligent and thrifty of the
race have made wonderful progress
Many, through the educational facilities,
| provided for them or through economy
! have been able to acquire enough prop
| erty to surround themselves with many
| of the comforts of life. In this class the
mortality is no greater than among the
| whites because they fully appreciate the
| value of sanitary surroundings: they OBJ
| serve personal cleanliness, keep regular
! habits and eat wholesome food But the
| great majority of these people. the la
| boring class, live from hand to mouth
| spend the greater part of their wages be-
tore they are earned, eat irregularIy,
| gofglhS themselves at night, going to
work early in the morning on an EMMY
| stomach; they buy their meat and vege-
| tables where 1t can be gotten cheapest
| whether good or spoiled; many spend
Their nights gambling and drinking. others
shouting and praying The wives are
opllged 70 work out, to help feed the
| family, so that the younger children are
left to the care of other chill
| dren or or superannuated women
and they are stuffed with coarse food.
badly clothed; out in all sorts of weather
ana Kept hlthy in their persons and sur
| roundings Pregnant women are left at
the mercy of Ignorant and unscrupulous
| midwives, at whose door may be placed
| the excess of abortons and still-bitbs
| These people live in small tenement houses
or in old shanties fit only to be burnt-they
are concentrated in the most unhealthy
localities with dampness underneath
and foul air above and no means
of ventilation. And if to this we
add immoral habits and other ex
| cesses, and the lack of medical attend
ance when sick, there is no wonder
that the death rate is excessive among
them. When their mortality was below
| that of the whites, no suggestion was ever
made of separating the races in official
reports, but as soon as it reached proper
tons, which made Savannah rank with
cities whose mortality is excessive. our
sanitary authorities instead of trying to
remedy the evil, by the enactment of new
sanitary laws and by enforcing existing
| ordinances. pnnp1Wnra1 To he
knot by separating the colors, but this
artihce could not be so readily palmed
off upon rival cities.
The negroes are part and parcel of our
population to-day, as well as when they
were our slaves. 1t was the duty of the
master to protect and take care of them
then, but the moment they acquired he
rights of citizens, IL became the duty Of
our city fathers to do so. And what can
they do for the welfare of this class OF
people? How can they reduce the excessive
mortality among themI IL seems to me
that council could easily reduce the death
rate and protect these people without in
| creasing the expenses of the city, They
could prevent under heavy penalty the
building of more than four houses upon
lot 50 or @ feet front, require for each
house an empty space yard fully twice
the superfcy Of the house; make It obliga-
tory to leave an empty space between
every second house; require that lots Shall
be thoroughly drained-or filled before is
suing building permits; that every wood
en- dwelling house shall be put upon brick
posts at least IS inches from the surface
Of the soil, this space to remain open for
the free access of air. That no living or
sleeping room shall be made smaller than
y by 10 by 10, with a fire place or ventila-
don hue opening; forbid, under heavy pen
atty, the use Of privy vaults; require land
'ords, where connection with sewers is i'm
practicable, to build closets in such a man
uer that the pals can easily be removed
and replaced by the scavenger, and forbid
also that closed wooden or brick fence be
placed around or between yards. Such an
ordinance II rlgidly enforced will stop the
building OF ten or more houses, with as
many vaults upon a single lot. The free
circulation Of pure air will In a measure
prevent the loathsome and sitting smell
In summer and greatly diminish that class
Of 9th diseases SO fatal among the poor
ltaaI tt,.,