The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-10-23
MOBILES HEALTH.
Dr. Mohr Gives Figures on the sub-

Dr. Mohr Gives Figures on the Sub-
 ject-The Register Comments.
 The following communication and com- ment upon 1t are clipped from The Mobile Register:
 Mobile, October 20, 1903. To the Editor of The Register:
 The following correspondence published in The Montgomery Advertiser of this date. deserving some correction Is my ex- cuse for asking little of your space:
 Advertiser Bureau, Mobile, October 19. While the death record for the past week for Mobile only showed about nine deaths among white people, this by no means indicated the physical condition of the city as being more than ordinarily healthful. From conservative estimate, based upon verbal reports from the sev- eral parts of the city, there is more sick ness in Mobile than at any time since the visitation of yellow and dengue fever to this city in 1897. In fact, 1t Is safe to say that in two out of every ten houses in the corporate limits there is some kind of sickness, and in many instances the dis ease is dengue fever. Fortunately, the mortality is very small. else the records of the health department would make an altogether different showing. Many physi- clans ascribe the large and unusual cases as due to the seven or eight weeks of dry weather which has only In part been broken the past week."
 This appears to be the product of the pen or the MODll0 correspondent OI l Hc Montgomery Advertiser Its purpose. pre- sumably, is to warn unsuspecting people against the terrible unhealthfulness of Mobile. do not pretend to guess through what channels the scribe obtained what appears to be his knowledge of the health conditions of the city. but do assert that the whole writing Is misleading, Is full of errors and conveys false idea as to the state of health of our city.
 The following facts and figures are ta- ken from the records of the board of health which, by the way, are accessible to all who are interested.
 The total number of deaths. among whites. from all causes, was during the months of June, July. August, September and October, during the last five years as follows:
 isssNis6 weekly average of about. g 1S99-170 weekly average of about........ 8 19O0-204 weekly average of about. 1901-175, weekly average Of about: :....... 5 1902-1SS weekly average of about. ....... 3 1903-(past 19 weeks). weekly average of
 So much for the heaithfuiness of the city during the last five months, as com pared with that of the last five years: Whatever the correspondents source or that had he canvassed opinions among the doctors of the city he would have learned that 1t is not true that there IS in Mobile since the visitation of yellow fever and dengue fever to this city in 1897" In evidence of this belief on my part, I submit that but very few Of our physicians have reported any cases Of dengue fever this season; in fact many declare that they have not seen case of the fever during this season: Further, since the first of October not single case of dengue fever has been seen in the City Hospital. In the wards under my charge in the hospital a number of cases of clearly defined malarial fever, of the so-called autumnal type, have been treat ad hiIt mt Q SinQlQ Of fever even stimulating dengue has been seen. It should be remembered that this type or malaria is prevalent, to a greater or less extent. in Southern countries every year in the autumn months and its occurrence here has no more significance than 1t has in Montgomery or any other city m the South. Now, 1t seems logical to infer that if dengue fever was so prevalent as The Advertisers correspondent seems to believe is the case, that at least one case should have presented at the City Hos pital. Again, if there was so much sick ness here, that is, so large a number of people sick as this correspondent would have us believe is the case. there would be larger number of deaths recorded, and not a smaller number as the records do show. It is a fact that whatever the nature of an unusually large number of cases of prevailing type of illness, the number of deaths from all causes would be augmented. It is not my purpose to explain this statement, which Is apparent to all physicians.
 One more mistake in the letter deserves mention. namely in the first sentence it is stated that the records show about nine deaths among the white people dur ing the past week. When one undertakes to use records as a basis for an argu- ment, unless the records are properly and correctly read the argument is worthless. Now, in point of fact the re- cords in the office of the Board of Health show that the total number of deaths was only five. Of these there were four whites. The causes of death of these premature births, Bright's disease and spinal disease Of the four, two were un- der years of age.
 Respectfully,
 Charles A. Mohr, M, D,