The times., 1898-10-23
Dr.. Woodward Complains Of
Curtailed Authority.
DECREASE IN MORTALITY
to Remove the Capitol Cab stand
Victory for the Produce Dealers
on Louisiana Avenue - Estimates
for the support of the Naval
Militia-Otber Municipal News.

DC ouoHuttcu W tut blSlTlCl SOUuIillo-
sioners by the heads Of the various de-
partments of the municipal government,
that of the District health officer. DR..
William c. Woodward, was given pub
licity yesterday afternoon.
The document Is a voluminous and ex-
haustive paper, and deals with all those,
branches of the District health office
over which DIR. Woodward has imme-
date supervision. Appended to 1t are
numerous statistical tables, showing at
a glance the vital changes of the last
fiscal year.
population of the city is now 2S0, ,259.
191.47S white and SS.772 colored. This es-
innate was made by determining the ra-
ito of increase between previous CEN
suses and applying this ratio to the po-
lice census of March of last year.
During the year there were 5,4l5 deaths,
which was a decrease of 322 over the
foregoing year. The death rates were a
fraction more than l5 per cent for the
white population, and slightly over 27
per cent for the colored population. The
report states, by way OF comparison. that
at no time since 1876 has the death rate
been SO low, and explains that the i'm
provement was due chiefly to dimin-
ished mortality among the white popu "a
tion.
distribution of deaths according to
their causes shows that the general
death rate was made up as follows:
From zymotic diseases, 3.1S per cent;
constitutional diseases, Az per cent; To-
cal Diseases, $40 per cent: developmentai
diseases, Isl per cent. and from violence
0.M per cent.
There were 22s deaths during the year
due to violence, distributed as follows:
Accidents and negligence. 16o; homicides,
Is, and suicides. 30.
BY accident. thirty-five deaths were
due to drowning. twenty-six to falls. M
teen to burns. and seventeen TO injuries
received from railways. In the class last
mentioned. twelve deaths were charged
! to steam railways and five to street cars.
The fatal injuries in cases charged TO
homicide were as follows: Fractures OF
the skull, nine cases: gunshot wounds,
five cases; stab wounds. two cases. The
victims of these homicides were in eight
cases white and in ten cases colo.ed.
OF the victims Of suicide. forty-four were
white and six colored- Fifteen took their
lives by gun shot. ten by hanging, and
eleven by poisoning. Forty were males
and ten females: twenty-four were mar
ried. twenty-one single, and five widow
ers.
There were 4, 100 births recorded during
the year; 2,135 white and 1872 colored-
Returns of marriages were received 10
the number OF 1885 OF which 1.02S per-
Nc uh.ar nj r
riages from which no returns were re-
ceived. as determined by the difference
between the number OF licenses issued
bv the court and the reports received at
the health department, was 1,eis, or ap-
proximately 40 per cent OF the entire
number.
Attention is again invited to the neces-
sitv for a public crematory TO dispose OF
the bodies of the INDECENT poor, such as
are now buried In potter's field. Ine
number of bodies distributed to the vari-
Gus medical colleges for anatomical ma
terial was fifty-one. Four thousand and
six persons received medical relief at the
hands of the physicians to the poor
Concerning the new system of calls for
these physicians to the poor, the report
says in part as follows:
Recommendations made by this de-
partment on June Il, 1897. in reply 10
letter from the Congressional Joint Select
Committee to Investigate the Charltles
and Reformatory Institutions in the DIS
trict of Columbia, having received the in
dorsement of that committee, nave oeeh
carried into effect since June !. Under
the system adopted. all calls for the ser
vice of physicians to the poor are left at
police station houses in books provided
for that purpose. By this method pa
tients are not confused by changes IN
boundaries of districts assigned to physi-
clans to the poor, nor by changes of the
physicians to the poor themselves.
There was a marked increase In the pre-
valence of scarlet fever, the number of
cases reported being 437, and diphtheria
also has been unusually prevalent, total
number of 700 cases having been reported
Diphtheria is epidemic at the present
time and that portion OF the report wnich-
treats of the disease is particularly IN
teresting. 1t says in part as follows:
1.-The disinfection of such articles as
could be moved to the municipal disin-
fecting station and disinfected by steam
has been done, as heretofore, under the
direction of the health department, but
the disinfection of the premises them
selves has necessarily been entrusted to
the householders because of the absence
of any appropriation to enable the health
office to do the work. The disadvantages
of such a system have been pointed out in
preyious reports 1t is hoped that some
proyision can be made in the near future
for the establishment of a general disin-
fecting service.
Decisions of the attorney have. from
time to time, shorn the health depart
ment of almost all of the authority which
it was formerly supposed to have under
the act to prevent the spread of scarlet
fever and diphtheria. Its work, there
fore. is now almost entirely educational
in character and not conducive to the
best results Unless amendments to the
existing law are secured, or a new law
passed, no action can be taken looking to-
ward the limitation of the spread of these
diSea ases.
.The delay which necessarily took place
in constructing buildings for the treat
ment of minor contagious diseases as pro-
vided for by the act of March 3. 1897,
though ii was at the time a matter Of
regret and disappointment, has resulted
to the best interest of the community.
Instead of the amount then appropriated.
$50. .00O for two wards. provision has been
made by the sundry civil act of July /.
1885, of $32, 900 for the construction of such
buildings on the grounds of Providence
Hospital, and So, 900 for those to be con-
nected with Garfield Memorial Hospital.
This seems to settle satisfactorily mat
ter which has been the source of much
embarra ssment to the Commissioners.
and a hindrance TO the work of the health
department"
THE CAPITOL CAB STAND.
District Commissioners Have Refus-