The Topeka state journal., 1906-06-06

by reason of the fact that no physi-
clan was called; hence. the death rate
is higher as reported than the prob
able facts (could they be known war
rant There seems to be abundant
clinical evidence to prove that in
many of the fatal cases there was q
mixed infection with diphtheria. In
several of these cases such conclu-
sions were confirmed by the findings
Of the bacteriologisr. Mcpherson
county reported the largest number of
cases of scarlet fever-155; next, Re-
public county, 90; city of Topeka. 50;
Riley county, SIS; Marshall county, 81.
In the year 1904 there were 2. .9Ss
cases reported. with 1914 deaths, giving
mortality Of 6.6 per cent
The following counties reported no
scarlet fever for 1905: Barton, Clark,
Coffey, Comanche, Edwards. Finney,
Cove. Graham, Gray. Haskell. Hodge
man, Kearny, Kiowa. Lane, Meade,
Morton, Ness. Scott, Seward, Stafford.
Stevens, Wabaunsee. Wallace, and
Wichita"
Typhoid Hard to Locate.
DR.. Crumbine has been making a
special effort to have the cases of
typhoid fever reported by the various
county health officers. AMI IS meeting
with good success, in spite of the fact
that there has been a dispesiU3 3a to
ignore this more fatal Of contagious
diseases. There were 397 deaths In
the state during the year, which makes
the death rate per 100000 of popula-
ton about 2S.9, the report says: with
improved sanitary measures adopted
both in the cities and country, the
careful disinfection of all eNcreuons
from typhoid patients. followed by eff
fective fumigation of places and things
after termination of all cases, the
Punishment of the fly from the house
and the destruction of their breeding
places will do much toward lowering
the number of cases of this prevent
bile disease but we may expect its
perennial appearance as long as the
cities Of this fair state are permitted
to continue the crime of polluting our
streams with their sewage, from which
most of the larger cities get their wa
ter supply. Surely these 397 monu-
ments erected in 1905 to commence
rate such criminal practice must be
silent but urgent appeal to those who
legislate to take the necessary steps
to keep our streams pure and whole
some"
Smallpox has so lost its terrors Of
late years that it comes in for only a
short mention. The number of cases
was Ais. with only 3S deaths, a rate
Of eight-tenths of one per cent. This
low death rate is attributed to vac
cination. Marion county headed the
list in the number of cases of small
pox- It had 405
cancer on the Increase.
Ger. the report says:
The often heard assertion that can
Ger is on the increase seems to be af-
hrmed by the vital statistics of Kan
sas. In the year 1897 there were 1SS
| deaths from this disease; IN 1898. 178
deaths; in 1889. 190 deaths; in 1908.
2S4 deaths; in 1904, 363 deaths: and in
1905, 46S deaths, making a death rate
the past year of 31.S per 100000 popu-
| lation of counties reporting. From the
report of a certain eastern state, just
received we figure a death rate of So
per 100. 600. However, it must be re-
membered that the average age of the
population of our state Is considerably
/ by reason of the constant stream Of
emigration of young blood. which may
have bearing on the subject. as can
Ger Is known to be in the main dis
ease of the aged. Moreover. our grad
ually increasing average age may ac-
count for our increase of deaths from
this disease
Suicides Prefer Poison.
The statistics Indicate that suicides
prefer the poison route to any other
The 116 suicides in the state were
classified as follows:
Poison. "a; firearms. 81: hanging,
10; asphyxia- 6; drowning. 4; crush
ing. 4; cutting. 4 fall, L; not classi-
fed. 81.
The causes of death by accident
were as follows: Railroad accident,
10S; gunshot, IS; mining. So; homi-
eide. 35; runaways horses. etc, 20. A
good many violent deaths are not thus
classified in the reports, for the total
number of such deaths is IA.