The times., 1899-10-31

taIity Record - Recommendations. /
In the report of the Health Officer which .
was made public yesterday the question of .
treating and managing contagious diseases, +
more especially smallpox diphtheria, and
scarlet fever, is more fully discussed than +
any other topic, with the exception of the (
vital statistics The report of the opera
tions of the Health Office during the preya
Ience of smallpox last winter with the an
nual statement of diphtheria and scarlet /
fever statistics, in part is as follows:
Before the outbreak had been checked !
there had been 80 cases, white and 90 col |
cred, and one death. During the progress /
of the outbreak at least eight cases devel- /
oped in Washington from exposure to in
fection in Alexandria and Portsmouth, Va. /!
Local hospitals were prompt in the recog /
milton of suspicious symptoms among pa
tients applying for treatment, and although /
many who applied subsequently found their /
way to the smallpox hospital, so carefully /
did those in charge manage such cases that I
in no instance could the spread of the dis
! ease be traced to exposure at such an insi-
tuition.
The hospital accommodations proved
| sufficient for all the cases. The Health
| Department was however, embarrassed for
d time by the absence of a place to which
! inmates of infected houses could be moved
while their own premises were being dis
| infected, and where they could stay during
! the quarantine period if they so desired
/ The want was met at a later period by
renting buildings in the vicinity Of the
smallpox hospital.
In any case, treating q large number
! of persons suffering from smallpox, and
of quarantining those who have been eX-
posed to the disease involves very great
! expense, and the present instance was no
exception to the rule.
Compulsory Vaccination.
General vaccination was effected. partly
through the agency of the dispensaries and
partly through physicians appointed for the
purpose. Although the power conferred
under the law to enforce vaccination in
general way was never exercised, approXi-
/ mately % 600 were vaccinated through
! Government agencies. The following state
ment shows the amount of work done by
the vaccine physicians in the employ Of
! the Health Department and the results:
The entire number of vaccinations effected
was 16 175, Of which 6,377 were primary,
and 9,79S were secondary.
THE advantage of having a smallpox
l hospital more or less suitable for the
work for which it was intended was re-
peatedly demonstrated during the outbreak.
In this connection the faithful perform
ance of duty by those engaged in the
smallpox service during the time of the
great storm, February II, and several days
following, is worthy of mention. While
the public was sympathiZing with the police
in their suffering, the watchmen in the
smallpox cases were patiently doing SER
vice at their posts of duty, and the physi-
clans and others engaged in the eXamina-
ton of suspects. in the removal of patients
to the hospital. in the disinfection of
Of houses. and in supplying food and fuel
TO those in quarantine, were doing their
work in spite of cold, snow, and winds.
of broken harness, wretched vehicles, and
exhausted horses.
Scarlet Fever and Diphtherin.
Scarlet fever was much more prevalent
during the past year than at any time dur
ing at least five preceding years. The num-
Der Of reported cases in 1878 was 437; in
. 1883 it was 994. The increase affected
both white and colored Among the former
The rise was from 403 to $50; among the
| latter it was from "a to 104. AS will be
noted the disease was much less prevalent
among the colored people than among the
whites the ratio to the white population
being AS per thousand, and among the
colored LII. The disease was somewhat
milder in type than it has been of recent
years, except 1861, the per cent of fatal
cases being but 2.11 among the whites
213. and among the ColOred 80.
The increase in the prevalence OF diph-
iberia while not so marked as in the case
of scarlet fever, was unfortunately of con-
siderable magnitude. The number of cases
rose from 200 to 1853; among the colored
from 2O6 to 3O4, and among the whites
from 494 to 755. Its prevalence with ref
erence to the population was as follows
Among the whites, $50 per thousand;
among the colored 3.41, and among the
entire population, 36S. The per cent OF
fatal cases among the entire number of pa
tents fell from 1911 to 1913. The fatality
among the whites rose from 1856 TO 1430
> while among the colored ii fell from 3106
to Pill.
! Attention is again invited to the fact
! that the law under which the Health De-
!, paTtment is operating with reference to
) scarlet fever and diphtheria does not afford
the public that degree of protection which
il is desirable that it should, and which
the public generally expects. The most
that 1t accomplishes is the notification TO
the public that one of these diseases exists
in any house which is placarded, so as 10
enable them TO keep out so FAR as Keep
ing the inmates of the infected dwelling
( upon the premises. or requiring them TO
J use definite and sufficient precautions it is
2 worthless, except as it applies to the pa
= tient 1t is recommended that 1t be SO
p amended as to conform to modern legisla-
: ton, such as exists in other localities"
. Vital statistics.
''The vital statistics Of the District, which
: are included in the report show that dur
y ing the year 6,026 deaths We're reported
+ The average death rates for the past five
, years were. for the whites, 1852. and for
, the colored. 28.72.
e Analysed by age, the total mortality
: shows 1871 deaths of persons under five
n years of age, 1856 white and l,015 colored
d OF the white decedents 537 and of the col
/, oTed 703 were infants in the first year OF
life. The average age of all decedents
s. was 80 years, months, and q days; that
=, of the whites 80 years and 10 days, and
II that of the colored, % years, months, and
e s days. These figures are in each instance
Is greater than the corresponding ones for
l. the present year.
= Distributing the death rate according
% to the causes Of death. the following fac
"a tors appear: Death rate from zymotic dis
l. eases, 347: from constitutional diseases
AS, from local diseases, 9.94; from devel-
IS opmental diseases, L90 and from Violence
= 0.81; general death rate 20.86.'
i; Births and Marriages.
a of birtbr rnarpfa c-el