The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-03-04
VITAL STATISTICS
FOR THE YEAR 1897
Examination Of the Figures Reveal
Some Interesting Facts
cITY'S DETAILED MORTALITY RECORD
The Rule That Figures Make Dry
Reading Doesn't Apply to a Condi-
tion OF scrantou's I,s22 Deaths
Just Ciosed--Particulars of Sex,
Age, Disease and Seasons Are
Revealed. Work of the Food In
spector During the Year.

spector During the Year.
Figures make dry reading and when
added to facts and records about death
and disease are not usually calculated
to make the average newspaper read
er very cheerful. In connection with
the yearly mortality record of the city
for 1897, however, figures, facts and
records are woven into quite an inter-
esting bit of information.
According to the board of health's
vital statistics for last year 1922 deaths
were recorded. OF this number 81 oc-
Cured outside the city, the bodies
being brought here for interment. In
tabulating the particulars as to sex,
cause of death, ETC., the records make
no distinction between foreign deaths
and those within the city limits. OF
the 1922 deaths 1852 were from nat
ural causes, 131 from violence. 70 still
| births and IS premature births. July
and September respectively were the
most fatal and least fatal months, the
deaths being 179 and 129.
The records show that 939 deaths
were of males and 500 females and so
! conditions" indicated that 622 were
married, 1,039 single, rs widows, SO wild
overs. OF the 1922 9S3 were natives
of the United States, 253 of Ireland, IFS
of Wales, 134 of Germany, n of Russia
and Poland, 81 of England, 27 of Hung
| ary, 21 of Italy and 16 of Scotland.
An interesting comparison of ages
| may be made: 420 were under one
year, 317 from to 5 years, 3O6 from 20
to 40 years, 271 from 40 to go years, PAT
over go years, 9S from to 10 years, 79
from 10 to 20 years and S4 at ages not
stated.
LARGEST DEATH RATE.
The largest number of deaths in any
one ward was $50, in the Fourth. There
were 12S in the Second the Nineteenth
122, the Fifth I16, the First and Sixth
9S, the Eleventh 81. the Twentieth s.,
the Fourteenth So, the Sixteenth 65, the
Eighth 62, the Thirteenth 5S the
Twelfth SO, the Seventh 81, the Sew
enteenth AZ, the Twenty-first 81
OF the burials $50 were in Hyde Park
Catholic cemetery 353 in Washburn
street cemetery, 167 in Forest Hill GEM
| etery and 109 in Dunmore cemetery
| and 2S7 We're taken outside the city.
The diseases which caused 40 or more
deaths each were as follows: Apo
plexy As, bronchitis 81, cholera infan-
tum 62, convulsions Gnfantile) 1872
| Group tmembraneous) As, debility 40,
| diphtheria 81. heart diseases (various)
80, meningitis (various) S. marasmus
Qnfantile) Al, pneumonia (various) 191,
phthsis pulmonalis Consumption of
the lungs) 20.
The most common causes Of deaths
by accident were: Mine 10, severe
burns ~, railroad IL, shock 16, suffoca-
tion 7, drowning 4. asphyxia 5, frac-
tured spine 4, fractured skull 4, Arac-
tured vertebra 5, poison 4, suicide s.
June, the month Of roses, held the
marriage record with So and caused a
big slump in cupid's stock as the fol-
lowing month, July, saw the fewest
| marriages, 30, of any month of the
year. August had only 81. A total of
4Sl marriages were recorded during the
year.
OF births there were LAOS, of which
727 were males and 67S females. April
was the banner month with 16S births
and November took last place with
only 80.
CONTAGIOUS DISEASES.
According to physicians reports of
| contagious diseases there were 1409 OF
measles, 443 of diphtheria, 96 of scar
let fever, 3S of typhoid fever, IS of
whooping cough, s of membranous
Group and each of diphthertic Group
| and chicken pox, a total of 2,014.
Measles were most prevalent in April
when 52S cases were reported. There
| were Ala in May, 224 in March, 1O7 in
February and 3S in January, only 9S
being reported during from June to
December inclusive. During no month
of the year did fewer than 16 cases in
July or more than Sc cases in June of
diphtheria develope.
An important branch of the board of
health's work is that in the depart
ment of the milk and food inspector,
7. N. Cullen. His yearly report con-
tains the following:
Nmber of stores and markets in
*