New-York tribune., 1902-06-14
SANITATION AT HAVANA.
REMARKABLE CHANGE IN VITAL STA
TISTICS SINCE AMERICAN
OCCUPATION.
ley TELEGRAPH % THE rRrnrHE.l


Washington. June 13-The remarkable sani-
tary condition Of Havana at the time it passed
out Of military control and the astonishing I'M
proven:ent wrought in four years by the Amer
SCAN administration are shown in the last report
of Major w. c. Gorgas 10 General Wood, cover
ing the month of April The major says;
This is the last monthly report Of vital statis-
Tics which wlll be made to the Military Gov
ernor, and it is also my last month as fftailh n
Officer of the City Of Havana therefore wish
10 invite the attention Of the Military Governor
te a comparison between the conditions existing
in April 1898, just prior to the American occu-
patton, and those which exist in Aprll lSo- the
last month Of American control ! ne nunl9siF
Of deaths in the city of Havana in April lS9S'
was 1899: the death rate WAS IINS per cent
In Aprii 1892 there were 400 deaths. a death
rate of 2l57 In April 1898 there We're forty
nine deaths from malaria; in April, l9u2 eight
deaths occurred from this disease In April:
1902. there cases and no deaths or
either yellow fever smallpox in the city:
These two diseases for generations ranked
among she principal causes of death here.
The lowest previous rate was that for I9o"
% 13 the highest was for 1895. .1.SS. The rate
for the month OF April. 1907, is n IL The
greatest number of actual deaths, lo99 oc-
CURED in 1899: the smallest number, AZ. in
1900; the average for the year under considera-
ton was 6S9 For April, 1902. there were 499
deaths. The total number Of deaths for the
year 1898 p .252. giving a death rate OF
91-53; for 1899. the total number of deaths was
S,153, rate of 60: for 1900, 6.102 deaths. a
rate Of 24.4o; for 1901, 5720 a rate of 22.11.
For the first four months of 1902 there have
been 1856 CeathS, which would give Tor the
year 5.6SS deaths, rate of DOCS This indi-
Gates forcibly the steadily improving sanitary
conditions
STREETS KEPT IN GOOD ORDER.
The results shown by these figures are borne
out by an inspection of the city. It is as clean
as the conditions will allow labor make il.
The streets in every direction kept in beau
tifui order by the Engineer Department.
The work which the Sanitary Department has
urged forward more particularly is the clean
ing Of the interior of the houses. The constant
inspections and fines, when necessary, carried
on for the last three years, have caused people
generally TO keep their yards and houses clean.
Permanent conditions have not changed; every
house in Havana still has q cesspool, located
somewhere on its premises. and il has not been
The policy of the department 10 interfere with
Ihese conditions until the sewer system shall
slble TO do away with the cesspools until the
city IS properly severed. but such cleanliness
as can be brought about by sweeping washing
and manual labor is enforced
The tenement districts Of Havana challenge
comparison with similar babitattons in most
cities OF course, one seeking to criticise can
ind individual elI over the city that might
oe improved, but these principally Que to the
necessity for having cesspools in e1-erv building
The figures quoted above bear out these state
ments. 1t would have been impossible unless
the city were kept in first class sanitary condi-
ton, TO lower the death rate OF Havana from
aISo in 1898 TO 21-1I in 1901. the rate OF
erage cities OF civilized countries. Another
month month mas passed without case of yellow
fever; the last case occurred in September. 1901.
The yellow fever table in the body of the
port gives the number Of deaths from this dis
ease since the year 1889 For these twelve
years the smallest number Of deaths-722--oc-
Cured in the yellow fever year of 1899 900; the
largest NUMBER. .3S5-occurred in 1867 and
the average number of deaths for that period
was 466- For the similar period Of 1901-02
there were only five deaths.
NO YELLOW FEVER IN CITY
Mosquito work began on February /. 1901.
As Havana has never been free from yellow
fever before, il seems 10 be reasonable de-
ductior from the figures quoted that it is now
entirely stamped out; and, believing that II is
only propagated by the mosquito, il appears that
it cannot occur again unless introduced from
, the outside. The city still continues free from
smallpox. There has been none since July,
1900. Commerce with ports OF the United states
renders Havana liable 70 infection from that
source at any time The only case for some
: time last month which developed three
1 days after the patients arrival from Newly ork.
Fortunately the case was discovered early and
was at once sent 70 Las Aninas Hospital Tor
treatment
The death rate from tuberculosis continues
: high in Havana, although not 50 great as in
many of the large cities OF the United States
: and Europe 4 comparative table Of the rates
in Havana and other large cities IS contained in
the body OF the report also a table giving the
number Of deaths from this disease from 1872 up
TO the present tire This table shows that in
: 1898 there were > 794 deaths from tuberculosis,
the maximum number for any one year; in the
minimum year, 1856, there occurred 11SI
deaths, the average for the above period being
S6eaths from this disease. The authorities are
-now in touch with almost every tuberculosis
5patent living IN havana II Is hOped 10 snow
2 still more marked Improvement in the death
srate if the present system be continued
| The work far has been satisfactory. For the
year 1901 there were little over half the number
of deaths from tuberculosis that the average for
the thirty preceding years showed
A small number OF other contagious diseases
IS shown in the report. Diphtherla. typhoid
fever, etc. nave never affected Havana TO any
great extent The amount of work being done
for the destruction OF mosquitoes is undimin-
ished and this had q great effect in decreasing
malaria For the year 1900. the year previous TO
disease: in the year 1901. the first year OF
mosquito work, there were 15l deaths. and for
the first four months CT the present year 26
e1eaths