The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-02-17
The CITY'S HEALTH
Report of the Department For the
So Year.
FIVE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY
SIX DEATHS RECORDED.
Typhoid Claimed Many Victims
Diphtheria-The Work of the De-
partment.

Together with the mayors Usage.
reports from the heads of the various
city departments covering the year 1896
were transmitted to the council last
night.
The annual report of the board of
health was contained within a very
voluminous space. In the main it fur
nisheS an epitome of the sanitary con-
ditions of the city for the past year
There occurred in 1896, from all
causes, $40 deaths and 1.0S3 births. OF
the latter 54S were males and 52S fe-
males. a comparative statement with
the preceding year shows the rate
based on a maximum of 1000. to have
been 7.91 per cent as against S.22 per
cent for the year just closed, slight
increase over 1895 and 1884. OF the
deaths reported there were but 81 as
the direct issue of consumption, and 40
from pneumonia Accidents claimed
is of these deaths and suicides g. There
were 20 from old age, the average age
of which was IS years 1t is urged in
this connection that better sanitary
conditions be enforced within the city.
Typhoid fever Frustrated 172 people
and of the number II occurred
east of Main and south of First South
streets, 16 east of Main and north of
First South streets and 20 west of Main
and north of First South streets.
Eighty-One of the cases occurred
among those between IL and 80 years
of age. Inspection proved that 1873 of
the cases were using water from the
city mains; SO that of flowing wells
and were using surface water. There
were 10 having sewer connection and
81 using cess pools and SO without
drainage.
None of the cases are chargeable to
imperfect drainage, foul cess pools and
filthy night soil vaults. Some of them
are charged to contaminated milk, sold
by dairymen in whose families the dis
ease was existing There were % deaths
from the malady. as compared with %
during 1885 The condemnation of cess
pools and privy vaults wherever posi-
bic is strongly recommended
There were IA cases of scarlet fever
with 5 deaths, compared with 147 cases
with deaths during the year 1895. An
inspection developed the fact that 33 OF
the reported cases had been using cess
pools and So of them had been wholly
without drainage; 80 were using city
water and 20 flowing wells. The cpl
demic, as it is alphabetically termed,
started during the months of Septem-
Der and October. 1895, and had since
continued without abatement The dis
ease was most prevalent between the
ages of 3 and 10 years.
There were SO cases of diphtheria re-
ported, with deaths as compared with
u cases with IL deaths during the pre-
ceding year. The decrease in mortality
is credited to the use of anti-toxine.
The board recommends the procuring
by the city of a microscope incubator
to enable public officials to properly
examine all supposed cases OF diphthe-
ria.
The routine work performed by the
department of the crematory, plumbing
inspector and street sprinkling follow:
The city jail is declared a disgrace
on account of it's exceedingly unhealthy
condition. The city authorities are re-
minded of the imperative advisability
of getting control of the water of the
Big Cottonwood canyon.
Appended TO the written report was
a mass of statistics. detailing the NOR
tally of the city and in addition a
tabulation of the contagious and infec-
tious diseases reported. the births. etc.
The sanitary inspector has also at
tached his observations