Evening star., 1901-10-28
Dr. W. 9. Woodward Submits His
Annual Report.
DISCUSSES 1HE CENSUS RETURN.
Statement Showing the Death
Rate Of the Past Year.
EXHIBITS COMPAR RED

Dr william Z. w oouWaru, tHe bistiiSl
health officer, has submitted to the Com
missioners the .twenty-second annual report
of the health department. The report is
one of unusual interest, dealing as 1t does
with the vital statistics and the conditions
of public health in the District during the
past year. Dr. Woodward presents some
exceptionally interesting figures in regard
to the population of the District and con-
trasts the results of the federal census of
| 1900 and the police censuses of previous
years
1.-The federal census of 1900" he says,
"has shown disappointingly small popula-
ton for this District. The total number OF
inhabitants enumerated was but 2fS,IS'
of whites 192,016, of colored S6,702. Recent
police censuses have justified a belief that
the population of the District would be not
less than 2S5,OOO.
'The results of such censuses, shown In
the following statement, had been consist
ent with one another and with the federal
census of 1890 The federal census of lS9o
showed a white population of 154,S2o 1 ana ed5
colored population of 1872; total, 230,3
Population of the District of Columbia
Police cenSuSeS:
June, 1887, white, 1855 eolored g. s22;
total, 21S, 157. June 1852, white, 1850;
colored. s4 ,s41; total, 25S,4 ,451. December,
1894, white. 1886; colored. S6,99S; total,
27O514. April 1897. white 1S9, 457; colored,
SS,32o; total, 2fI,Ie2
disappointing Figures.
1.-The increase from year to year While
not great had been reasonably large. and,
for a community of the character OF that
of Washington. satisfactory. When, there
fore, the federal census of June, l9oo,
shows on comparison with the police CEN
sus of April 1897, an increase in the white
population of but 1853 and decrease in
the colored population Of 1,623, making
total increase of but 936 in somewhat more
than three years, 1t is apparent that there
have been some very unusual and remark
able factors at work to modify usual condi-
tions, or that one or the other OF these
enumerations of the population is incorrect.
"A careful consideration having faned to
show the presence of any factors liable to
curtail the usual increase In the popula-
ton, the latter hypothesis Is at least rea-
sonably well sustained. AS to which of the
enumerations Is in error there may be hon
est differences of opinion, but as the police
census was made by men familiar with
every nook and Granny of the District, and
whose uniforms commanded respect, and
the summing up Of the returns done by
men whose gradually increasing experience
up to the last enumeration insured &C
curacy, it would appear that the chances
of being correct were much in favor of the
police census the federal census of June,
1900, showing probably less than the actual
number of the inha bitants.
Computation of Vital Statistics.
while accepting this as fact, the
health department has not felt justified in
rejecting the returns Of the federal census
of June, 1900, in the computation of it's
vital statistics of the District because of
the absence of an actual enumeration to
demonstrate. its inaccuracy, The vital sta
tistics for the year ended June 80, 1901,
have, therefore, been based on an estf-
mated population for December, 1900, in
the computation of which both the police
census of April, 1897, and the federal CEN
sus of June, 1900, were accepted as correct.
Such estimates show a white population of
1872. Alb, colored population of SO, 467, and
a total population of 27S,SS0."
An analysis of the population of the Dis
trict by and color, and to a certain ex-
tent by age, based on the federal census of
1900, shows that the white male population
is 93, III. or $500 per cent of the whole, and
the white female population is 9S,417, or
35 % per cent of the whole, the total white
population being SO per cent The col
ored male population is 3S,37O, or 13. 76 per
cent. and the colored female population
4S,3S2, or 17.35 per cent.
The total number Of deaths among the
white population was 3,43O, a death rate of
1882 per cent. Among the colored people
the number of deaths was 1851, a death
rate of 30.7 per cent. The total number
of deaths was COST, a mean death rate of
21.S3 per cent.
Increase Shown.
Commenting on these figures, DR.. Wood
ward says:
These figures show slight increase in
all death rates since last year; for the en-
tire population O.46 per thousand; for the
whites, O.47; for the colored, 0.51. The
usual excess of the death rate for males
over that for females appears in both the
white and the colored elements of the popu-
lation, and the excess of the colored death
rate over that for whites, appears in both
sexes.
The excess Of the colored death rate
over that for whites is even more marked
in the earlier years of life than in the en-
tire population. Unless the returns Of the
federal census of 1900 are incorrect, which
as suggested before seems probable, ap-
proximat tely 457 Of every thousand colored
children recently born In this District died
before completing their first year Of life.
The corresponding figure for the whites, 1S3
out Of every thousand while startling
enough, is not nearly so appalling as is
that for the colored.
Signed by Democrats.
Passing to the other extreme of life
we find 513 decedents between the seventy
first and the eightieth year Of life, inclu-
sive, of whom 414 were white and ninety
nine colored. Between the eighty-first and
the ninetieth year, inclusive, 254 died.
white, 1873; colored. seventy-one. Between
the ninety-first and the Tooth year, fifty
seven died; white, twenty-four; colored,
thirty-three. The predominance of colored
due to the greater inaccuracy of their age
records and to the natural tendency, in the
absence of such records, to exaggerate,
rather than to any actual diffrenece in
tn. longevity of5the two races"
d. Woodwhrdisays that without an accu-
rate knowledgej Of the composition of the
population, ~ statement as to the average
age Of decedents at death loses much, if not
ali. of it's vafhe..' He estimates, however.
that the averaghRge at death among white
males is 80 years. months and days;
among whiteJfemales. Al years and 18 days;
among coloFed Hfales, % years. months
and 10 days. cql9red females, % years, 10
months and 30 days.
The average number Of deaths per day
during the, :jmoHths Of the past fiscal year
was as follows: g July, 1914; August, ia;
September, ,F.2; October. 146; November,
al; December.s 16; January. 1913; Febru-
ary, 1914; March is; April. 15.2; May, 1876;
There wasua decrease in the number of
deaths fromgthe following diseases:
Diphtheriatf ami croup), 2o5 to s6; measles,
Al to II; malignant tumors, 1856 to 154;
scarlet fever, "a to Z; typhoid fever. PIG