Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-05
HEALTH DEPARTMENT,
Conditions as shown by Report of the
District Official


District Official.
The various branches of the health de-
partment have each received energetic and
efficient service. and, although the report
of the health officer shows a slightly In
creased mortality. it Is true that the con-
ditiOns generally Tela ting to sanitary meas
ureS in the District have been greatly i'm
proved Many houses have been connected
with running water which formerly had no
modern water closet accOmmodat tons Yards
have been drained and sanitary measures
generally enforced Strange as it may
seem, when considering such matters as
are of vital importance concerning sickness
and health, this is one of the most diff
cult Of all the departments of the District
government in which to enforce the law
as there is apparently more objection to
slight payments Of money for such SAM
tary conditions than for almost ANYTHING
else.
In the absence Of a census during the
period covered by this report il has mean
necessary TO compute such ratios "a arc
based upon the number Of inhabitants
upon the population as estimated bv the
health officer. which Is as follows: Wbites
19s 4s2; Colored. $4,000; total, 2s1, 49, The
total number of deaths which occurred dur
ing the past year was COPS an increase Of
6l1 over the corresponding figure for the
preceding year. The annual death rate
rose, therefore, from 1882 per LOO TO 2Oge
Among the whites there occurred 33T2
deaths. an increase of 800 and the deafh
rate rose from 1888 TO 1893 Among Tha
colored people there were 1854 deaths an
increase of 212, causing increase in the
death rate Of from 2I51 to 20.s1
Report on Infection.
Infectious diseases have been unusually
prevalent, and have contributed largely to
the increased mortality. Some of these
diseases are such as prevail from time to
time to a greater or less extent without
hyIt in ,a
as are dependent upon conditions more or
less understood as typhoid fever, the fac
tors responsible for the increased number
OF deaths cannot be identified. From each
or the following named diseases the mortal
Ivy during the past year shows a material
increase over that for the year preceding:
Dlarrhoea. diphtheria, grip, malarial fevers,
spideInlc cerebro-spinal meningitis, scarlet
lever and typhoid fever.
There was practically no increase in the
NUMBER OF deaths from violence, although
the number of fatalities resulting from the
operation Of steam railways increased FROM
Twelve to twenty. and those from street
railways from five to seven. A detailed
siatement OF the mortality Of the District,
ana more extensive analysis Thereof, dp-
pears in the report Of the health officer.
The Increased number of deaths from
scarlet fever and diphtheria represents, OF
course, an increased number of cases of
tAeSe diseases, and the amount OF work
winch has been entailed thereby upon those
prevent the spread Of such diseases has been
considerably Increased.
Treatment of Smallpox
What threatened TO be a serious cpl
dernic Of smallpox was confined to less
than one hundred cases, with only one
DEATH that being in the case OF d woman
who did not die from smallpox. but from
disease with which she was suffering
When the smallpox was contracted. Con-
sfesS promptly responded TO the appeal
OF the Commissioners With an appiUpria-
uoh or S1utp part OF which was used
IN caring for such persons as were at
ilcted, guarding the property that had
been infected providing camp Of de-
tehtlon, Where those who had been in con-
tact with the sick We're held until they
mad passed the period of suspicion, or had
been removed to the smallpox hospital suf-
Ierlhg with the disease, and when the last
case had been released it was found that
through a careful administration of the
fund only about one-half of it had been
USED leaving most valuable fund, which
az TINS time is being used to meet the cases
OF smallpox that during the autumn have
Hidce tAelr appearance in the District.
IsoIating Wards.
The isoiating wards provided at the
second session of the Fifty-fifth Congress
Tor the accommodation of patients suffering
rom scarlet fever, dphtheria and other
minor contagious diseases. at Garfield Me-
moral and Providence Hospitals, have been
completed and are now in use The build
ing at the Garfield Hospital is on the pa
Vihon plan, being three separate struct-
uies connected, and is most complete in
every respect. This large building was
only made possible by the addition OF the
tund contributed by the Daisy Chain Guild
10 the appropriation of Congress, making
a splendid provision thoroughly sanitary
ana modern for the treatment of such
diseases The building at Providence al
though not so large, is equally perfect in
us appliances and appointments
In order TO get the very best service
from these two buildings ii has been sug-
gested that the diseases should be treated
separately; that is. that scarlet fever pa
uents should be sent to one of the hos
pitfalls and diphtheria patients to the other.
In this way all of each buildins; viii be
entirely serviceable, whereas, if it be at
tempted TO treat both classes of disease at
both hospitals, much of the space neces-
sarily Will be vacant.
Advantages Demonstrated.
The advantage OF having institutions Of
this character for the treatment Of con-
tagious diseases has been abundantly DEM
onstrated in the use of the SMALLPOX hos
pital in connection with the outbreak Of
that disease. Provision should be made
however, for the construction of a build
ing or buildings wherein persons who have
been exposed TO infection can be detained
during their quarantine period and for
the appointment of some competent person
to have charge of such buildings and of