The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-04-27
GREAT LOSS BY DISEASE
PreventabIe Sickness Costs New
York State Millions.
CANCERS RAVAGES INCREASE

ss4, 100000 Worth of Lives Wasted, So
Health Commissioner Lewis Argues
in Report to Governor-Over $4,000
Persons Died Unnecessarily Last Year
Food Extensively Adulterated.
Albany. n. Yin his annual report
to the Governor State Health Commits
sioner Lewis says that the most con-
spicuous feature of the sanitary condl-
tion of the State during 1908 was the
epidemic of typhoid fever, which pre-
vailed to an alarming extent at Ithaca
and at West Seneca. near Buffalo, and
points out that there is evidence to
prove that similar conditions to those
at Ithaca and West Seneca menace the
public health of many municipalities
Of the State to-day as we'll as numer-
Gus health resorts. which are extern
sively patronized by citizens of other
States besides New York.
Millions Of dollars. the Commissioners
asserts, are annually lost to the people
Of the State through preventable dis
eases. "If the monetary value of a hu-
man life is assumed to be $oOOO," he
says, "the deaths from but five OF the
preventable diseases during 1903 in
this State represent loss of $94,96O.-
900. These figures seem appalling, and
yet millions upon millions can proper
ly be added to this sum, in loss of
wages, expense of the care of the sick,
and many other expenses incidental to
the management of these epidemic and
infectious diseases
The deaths from the five preventable
diseases referred to by DR.. Lewis We're
as follows: Pulmonary tuberculosis,
1894; diphtherla, 3056; typhoid fever.
1865; scarlet fever, 1857; smallpox. Il;
total. 1892.
The Commissioner says that the pal
try $4,000 a year which is available
for the purpose of a systematic super
vision of water supplies. sewer sys-
TENS and drainage. that they may be
remedied where danger exists, is too
small to meet the required conditions
and enforce the law. A new bureau or
water supply and drainage in the
Health Department is recommended.
Immediate action is urged as serious
epidemic now in progress has exhaust
ed the available funds.
The chemical department made anal
yses Of siXty-nine samples of food and
fifty samples of water. Of the food
twenty-five samples. or thirty-two per
such articles as were considered liable
to adulteration of some kind were COL
lected for examination. 1t was found
that considerable kerosene oil of infe-
rior and very dangerous quality was
being sold in violat ton Of law.
In the report of the cancer research
laboratory is the following: "The past
year has not been characterized By
any marked discoveries which can be
safely announced to the world, but has
been marked by steady. earnest. and
even laborious study along the lines or
investigation" The deaths from can
Ger, according to the monthly bulletins
of the department. show an increase or
about 500, or ten per cent. over the TO-
tai number the previous year.
The vital statistics Of 1903 show a
State death rate of 17.6 per 1000 popu-
Iation and q birth rate of 21.S. with
as close a registration of births as
there is of deaths. no doubt the true
birth rate would exceed twenty y-fve
per 1000 population" says the report.
In 1903 there were indexed and filed
S9,O67 birth certificates. 4S,976 deaths
and 81 ,276 marriage certificates.
From the small number of reports OF
examinations of eyesight of school
children received from school prlnci-
pals, 141 per cent. were shown to have
defective vision.