The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-10-29
@essenger.
FACTS AND FIGURES AS TO THE
PUBLIC HEALTH

Antitoxine has proved a very great
hkezsing to humanity. Tens Of thou
sands of children are protected against
the destructive ravages OF diphther1a
try this great, beneficial agent. The
rate Of mortality in many parts Of the
world is daily lowered by his bless
fuS to children. 1t is stated as a fact
efsat In the one city Of New YORK
ehs-re are literally 1000 lives saved by
m each year. In other cities in our
siyEantry other favorable results follow
ITS treatment. Every where reports
show a steady decrease in deaths
where the an%titoxine is faithfully used.
III IS known to doctors and others that
great danger attends diphtheria with
>sH7Tdren under five years old. The
washington Cd. CO Star says that in
London, the heaIthiest great city in
tire world, the health rate of infants
Snrder y is 60 in ZOO, (London's total
death rate being a trife less than 49,,
with the death rate between the ages
of 3 and % only Az, and between 70
and As averaging less than IL. Thus an
%uYnen amount of attention is now
being paid to the guarding Of young
k-hiIdren's lives by better sanitary reg
xa5aEions, cleaner streets and the
thorough inspection Of milk. The only
city in the United States that shows
No. diminution of deaths is Providence,
Rhode Island. Eighteen of the lead
ing cities show reduction in mortality.
Minneapolis shows a decrease from II
ser 1000 inhabitants in 1886 to 93 in
Iz96- Let our city authorities make in
GefIigent investigation as to how this
great mortality reduction was secured
nm a city of nearly 200, 900. Write to
the health officers in Minneapolis and
aud out the causes operating so ia
vgrably. Surely they are worth know
ing. The Washington paper says that
. eighteen cities show in reports APPROX
ed by medical experts the number of
HIVES saved this year. The cities are as
RnTiows: New York, Brooklyn, Chica-
go. Boston, Philadelphia, New Orleans,
Cleveland, Milwaukee, Baltimore, a
francisco, Buffalo, Denver, Cincinnati,
ST Louis, Hartford, Providence, st.
Pan1 and Atlanta.
The lives saved foot up 23,s67. The
L popuidtlOH \cStllIidleu, IOJt) VI
these cities is 10, 725, 900. Statistics show
that 20. 200, 900 people Of the UNI
States live in cities. Even allowing the
Che decrease of the death rate has not
been SO great in the other cities, there
IS little question but that the total
number of lives saved yearly now
amount to So, 900, and the complete fig
ures would probably show nearer 49,
600. Some cities are more favorably
situated for health than others, n
for this reason it may come to pass
that where the sanitation is excellent
as good results are not obtained. The
following from the Washington paper
is instructive and may not be passed
over:
Since 1892 these new scientific meas
lures and methods have been coming
into use. Chief among them have been
antitoxine for diphtheria, the public
supervision of tuberculosis, the bacteri-
illogical diagnosis Of tuberculosis and
diphtheria at the service of private
physicians, the famous blood tests for
typhoid, the inspection of milk, by
which a Gordon is formed around a
city and no milk above to come in
that does not reach a certain stand
ard, the inspection of the cows (within
the city limits) from which milk is pro-
1uCed, the proper cleaning OF the
streets and removal Of garbage, SAM
Sary inspection and the medical inspec-
fion of children in schools, and the
wholesale destruction Of rear tene-
ments and condemned buildings.
Properly speaking, this is the sci
~ence of preventive medicine and it is
all of these innovations, not one Of
which has proved a failure, that have
made this revolution in the health OF
Americas cities"
We invite our intelligent readers to
particularly regard that statement.
Study it to see how the benevolent and
.uercifu1 results were secured and
then cooperate in demanding the en-
ployment of all such preventive meas
aares for our own city. The adoption of
proper measures of sanitation will ave
many lives in Wilmington and prove
II great blessing to many a household.
The heath rate for four months has
been exceedingly high in this city
Think of a vast city Of nearly or quite
43.JOO, 900 -four and a half million) of in
-habitants having a death rate of a lit
tie less than IS in the 1000 inhabitants
end Wilmington's being lately ten or
<s-Etsre than London in every 1000
Think of it and then combine for a
perfect sewage system, pure water for
drinking, n thorough cleansing OF
cots and streets every day and all the
year round. In a great city like Ber-
kin you can not find so much as a piece
of paper in the streets. In Whining
Eon you can find many things that
ought not to be allowed to be in the
streets and alleys.
Chicago has adopted a new and Wig
a<Hous system of sanitation. A reduc-
!. eSon already has ccurred in it's death
Eafe. It's rate is now much lower than
Chat of New York. The British Medi-