New-York tribune., 1903-07-15
THE BROOKLYN DEATH RATE.

For several years Brooklyn has puzzled the
health authorities by a higher rate of infant
mortality in summer than Manhattan. 1t is less
thickly populated, its builders and some of its
newspapers boast that it has slums, and
therefore no need of the tenement house re-
strictOps necessary for this unhappy borough.
1t certainly ought to be moro healthy, but year
after year the death rate tells the same story.
This year the prospect is just as bad. Last
week the number of deaths of children under
two years from bowel disorders in Brooklyn
was 1OT while in Manhattan where 100000
more people are crowded in a much smaller
space the number was III. In the week before
such deaths in Brooklyn numbered seventy
four while in Manhattan there were seventy
two. Thus not only is the infant mortality pro
portionately greater, but. with the smaller popu-
lation, in some weeks actually greater.
Now, it is impossible to believe that Brook
lyn is naturally less healthy than Manhattan.
It ought to be more healthy. The poor and
ignorant foreign families, whose children are
the chief sufferers, are as poor and as ignorant
and vastly more numerous and more crowded
in Manhattan. The italian mother is as likely
to feed her baby bananas in Manhattan in
Brooklyn. What, then, can be the cause? Dr.
Raymond, Of the Brooklyn Health Department,
suggests the lack Of free ice, and the sugges-
ton is one which should command the imme-
date attention Of Brooklyn phianthrOpists In
Manhattan free ice is widely distributed to the
poor, and its Importance can scarcely be over
estimated. II is a boon to the adults, it is often
the life saver of the babies, for in the hot tene
ments their milk sours almost Immediately, and
sour milk, according to the physicians, is the
J most common cause of infant disorders. Ger
tainly Brooklyn has enough of public spirit to
see that its babies have as fair chance for life
as those of more crowded Manhattan. There
should be persons there who would undertake
the work Of private charity which has been so
useful here. Let the ice wagon go TO the
Brooklyn poor and save their babies
This lack Of ice is doubtless one great cause
of the high death rate, but there are probably
others which alse need attention. 1t is well
known that for years Brooklyn, with its large
area and comparative poverty, neglected its
streets and tenements After consolidation
Tammany's Improvements were largely devoted
| to Manhattan, and Brooklyn received little at
| tentioD. Its health and other departments be-
came comfortable resting places for politicians.
| Since Mayor Low came into office heroic at
| tempts have been made to bring Brooklyn ad-
| ministration up to the standard Of efficiency
set for Manhattan Nevertheless, it was so
| behindhand that much still is to be desired
Commissioner Woodbury. has done wonders in
|
streets among the Brooklyn tenement houses
are not nearly so clean nor is the Commits
sioner to blame for that. His task is much
| more difficult in Brooklyn. There are more
miles of streets. The paVements are bad, many
of them cobblestones, which cannot be kept in
sanitary condition. The first attention of the
Tenement House Department has naturally
been given to the more cOngested tenements Of
the East Side-some people in Brooklyn have
resented its giving any attention to them at all
and probably the Brooklyn slums which do
exist have been less sharply regulated, and on
that account, well as because Of their cheap
er construction, are in q worse sanitary con-
dition than those Of Manhattan Certainly for
years they were left more without regulation
and were more run down than those Of Manhat-
tan were permitted TO be, even by Tammany.
In addition to free ice, Brooklyn needs asphalt
pavements, and more minute inspection by va
rious administrative departments than is even
yet thought necessary by many Brooklyn Off
cials with habits handed down from days Of
living under village conditions. Brooklyn suf-
fers from being congested enough to need the
most perfect public works as a safeguard
against disease without being congested enough
TO have enforced the necessity upon the minds
OF its people.