The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-08-29
BIG DEATH ROLL
OF THE FOURTH OF JULY, IG4,
 INJURED NUMBER APO.
Celebration Caused The Nation Many Deaths and Many Maimed For Life. New York Leads the
 I.fNf

2 Statistics regarding injuries received
 during the celebration of the Fourth of July, with particular reference to tetan-
 us resulting from these injuries, are
 published in The Chicago Journal. There were seventy-three tetanus eases
 this year. or sixteen less than in 1906, thirty-orie less than in 1905. thlrty-tvo
 less than in 1904. and 3f2 less than in
 1903. There has been constant de- crease since the publication of hese
 statistics was begun.
 Tetanus eases occurred in twenty
 three different States. or in two less
 than last year, but In the same num-
 her ef tes as in 1905. Tetanus oc-
 cured in twenty-one States in 1904 and
 in thirty States in 1903. Illinois mad
 the largest number this year. twelve
 cases being reported. New Jersey cones
 next. with eight cases. Pennsylvania
 comes third with seven cases and Ohio fourth with six cases. Nine States have
 more cases this year than last. and six
 States have the same number as last year. Connecticut had four this rear
 where it had none last year. and Penn sylvania had two more cases than ip
 1906.
 Blank cartridges are still responsible
 for the great majority of cases, aftv-
 two. or seventy-one per cent of al. cases this year being due to that cause. 6' SSthpeA Co WAtu SlALy per GeHL itSl wear. Giant crackers caused only eight cases this year, compared with seventeen last year. and toy cannon caused six cases this year where they only caused one case last year.
 Many other cases were reported this year. these being due to penetrating wounds from nails or splinters and to crushing injuries. There were ninety four cases reported this year, as com pared with sixty last year and thirty two in 1905. Notwithstanding the in- crease In the number of these cases, tha number from Fourth of July injuries has decreased.
 Besides the deaths due to tetanus, there were 102 persons who lost their lives this year because of the present method of celebrating the Fourth of July. The total number of deaths this year, therefore. including tetanus, was l64. or six more than last year. Of the l02 death aside from tetanus, gunshot wounds caused twenty. giant crackers caused thirteen, and thirteen deaths were due to explosions of powder, tor bedoes and dynamite. Ten deaths were due to falls Or runaways caused by fire crtckers. Thirty-one persons were burned to death, the majority of these heinz young girls and children, whose dresses so easily catch fire. One hun dred and sixty-four lives were sacrifice s0s GAeEeLOESs lu L4e celeDraL1On or our national independence
 New York takes the lead in the cas- ualty list this year with 752, Pennsylya- mia taking second place with 491. Illi- nois had ASS and New Jersey had 402. Altogether, there were 4.413 accidents this year, as compared with 5,446 last year. decrease of 1,053.
 There were 4.249 non-fatal injuries, a decrease of 1,059 below last year when the total was 5,30S. Only twelve persons were completely blinded this year. or ten less than last year; seven ty-five people lost one eye this year. or three less than in 1905; flfty-seven lost an arm or a hand this year, or one more than last year. and 237 persons lost one or more fingers this year, this being ten more than last year.
 The principal cause of the most mu- tilating wounds is by far the giant cracker. This destructive means of celebration, along with the toy pistol, should be condemned. This year L. 4S9 injuries, including thirteen deaths and eight cases of lockjaw, were due to the giant cracker. --irearnis rank sec- ond in causing mutilating wounds, be- ing responsible for 502 injuries and twenty-four deaths, including four cases of tetanus.
 The total results of our last ceIebra tion of Independence Day were 164 killed and 4,249 injured. many of these being maimed for life.
 There can be no doubt that this de- crease in tetanus is due to two causes, one being a popular understanding of the grave danger that lies in blank and in other Fourth of July and the other is the more thor | ough surgical treatment of these | wounds by the practising physicians | and the frequent prophylactic use of | antitoxin. The decrease In tetanus is | not due to lack of opportunity for in- lection. for the number of wounds re- ,eived in celebrating has each year been | as great as or greater than in 1903, when there were 415 cases of tetanus