Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-07-15
VITAL STATISTICS REPORT
The Health Officers Showing for the Past
Fiscal Year.
Dimfnution Shown in Deaths From
ZymOtfc Disenses-The Suicides
Births During the Year.

The District health department has COM
piled the vital statistics coming under its
supervision for the fiscal year ending June
90, 1897 of which the following is a copy:
As shown by the recent police census.
the population of the District of Columbia
was in the spring of this year III 1S2, of
which 1S9,457 were whites and SS.32J col
ored. Approximately 81 per cent of the
entire population is, therefore made up of
the colored race. The average annual in
crease since the. last preceding police GEN.
sus december. 1s94) has been LIS per cent;
for the whites, LAB per cent, and for the
colored, 6S per cent. The vital statistics
for the fiscal year just ended will be based
upon the figures given above.
There occurred during the year 5,731
deaths. OF these 3.2l6 were whites and
.,521 colored.
The general death rate was. therefore.
2o.11 per thousand. 1t has fallen below
this figure only once during the past
twenty-five years Tin 1895, 2O5T, the aver
age death rate for that time being 23.36.
Among the whites the death rate was I'LL,
the lowest point reached at any time dur
ing the above period. The death rate for
the colored race was. however, $3.50, the
lowest except in 1895, when 1t reached
ISIS.
Satisfactory Feature.
The most satisfactory feature of the
years mortality table is the very consider
able diminution in the deaths from 'zy-
motto diseases" The entire number of
such deaths recorded was sol. while during
the preceding year it was 1.054. In certain
diseases of this class the death list shows
an increase. Thus the number of fatal
cases of diphtheria rose from 10 to 40, of
whooping cough from - to 6J. and of grip
from ~ to 11S. The decrease In the total
number of deaths of this class is accounted
fatal cases of measles from 20 to 3, of
scarlet fever from IL to I. of Group ESQ
called from to o. of typhoid fever from
DDS to AZ. of malarial fever tso-called)
from 81 to 81. and of diarrhoeal diseases
from i6S to 3JS.
The number of deaths from diphtheria is
not excessive. as, except during the year
Immediately preceding, it has not during
any previous year fallen so low since 1889.
The actual number of cases of this disease
which were reported was 61S.
There is previous record of any year
passing with but single death from scar
let fever The prevailing mild type of this
disease is indicated by the fact that there
We're 100 cases registered during the year
covered by this statement.
Improvement Noted.
The most important feature. in the i'm
provement in the death rate in the zy-
motto class is the very marked decrease in
the number of fatal cases of the filth dis
eases. typhoid fever and diarrhoeal. And
while malarial fever itself cannot be prop
erly classed with such diseases, the ex-
treme rarity of fatal cases of such fever,
in this climate. in the practice of many of
the beStfnformed physicians, renders, 1t not
unlikely that many of the deaths reported
due to this disease were due to typhoid
fever. So that the apparent decrease in the
prevalence of "malarial fever may also
be considered in this connection.
This decrease is as follows.