New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-12-10
DEATH RATE LOWERED.
Fatal Consumption Cases Alone 800
Less than in 1901.

heath commissioner Tederle YESTERDAY in his
report ioi me year ending December 81 1902 stated
that the death rate had fallen to 10 a thousand
as compared with 1000 in 1901 2O57 in 1900 The
deaths numbered 6SCS5 as compared with n 72o il,
1901 and 7OS72 in 1900 The death rate in the sec.
ton corresponding to the old city of Network
was IS4S thousand. which figure had not been
approached in any year succeeding 1914 which wear
presented the unusually low death rate of 1866
The death rate of 17SS in BROOKLYN is the lowest
IN that section since 1855, in all probability the
lowest ever recorded in the history of the city of
Brooklyn The report says:
Deaths from smallpox decreased 100: from scar
lei FEVER %; from diphthera and GROUP az ard
from pulmonary tuberculosis $50 There was also
a marked decrease in the deaths from diarrhceal
diseases occurring in children under two wears the
ngures showing saving Of SIS lives partly to
measures taken by this department to assure nedi-
cal care and proper feeding to children in the ten
ement districts; particularly also to the efficient
work of the Tenement House Department in i'm
proving conditions under which a large proportion
OF the city's population lives. and to work of the
Department of Street Cleaning which has ken
the streets of the more crowded sections of the
city cleaner, we believe, than ever before and by
the generous use of water from The city MIGRANTS"
Referring to tuberculosis the report says:
The total number Of deaths from tuberculosis was
4 Hs as as compared with 2%8 IN 1901 the death
connection with this subject this board desires IN
recommendaons to he city u aGthorf eas for ts
municipal! sanatOrium for c0nsumptive ma tiarts
Experience has shown that. while the preventive
measures are cftectual to n Cnnsiderabl extent
Yet the problem of checking a disease which alone
causes fully one-eighth Of the deaths in this citv
each year VIII not be solved until city provides
n place where its consumptives. who are still i'm
the durable stage. may cease to be menace to
the health Of their associates. and at the same
time have Oh opportunity to he themselves com
pletely restored 20 health.
The contagious disease hospitals arc treated fuIy
DR.. Lederle says the pavilion will hold $50
patients. and will when entirely finished from
$4,000 10 $4,000 He urges the esta blishment ~
separate contagious disease hospitals for each bor
ough, and that steps have been taken 10 ac-
quire property for Queens and Richmond The
present system the Commissioner says of carry
ing contagious disease patients from outlying nor
tons of Queens and Richmond boroughs to, North
Brother Island. has been little short OF barbarous
OF the smoke nuisance the Commissioner saws.
There WIS not a single offender against that sec
ton of the code who had not been served with
nuisance taken into the magistrates courts up0n
a warrant summons The result is that the ctv
Is now frecr from smoke than IL before the
coal strike.
No more important field offers itself to the de-
partment than work for the publication of food
supplies and the punishment Of dishonest adutera-
tors. the report declares and advises that the work
should be taken up by the department on a large
scale without dels..