Los Angeles herald., 1907-12-18
MORE BIRTHS THAN
DEATHS THE RECORD
OVER 1900 BABY ARRIVALS IN
LOS ANGELES
Health officer In Annual Report Asks
for More School inspectors
and Public Dumping
Grouh1s

More births than deaths is the record
of Los Angeles last year. A large per-
centage of fatal cases are of persons
who came here in a critical condition
only to die.
The annual report of the health depart
ment issued yesterday gives the vital
statistics.
During the year 4os3 deaths were re-
ported to the health office, giving death
rate, per thousand, of 1884, based on an
estimated population of 25OOO0. This
number includes all deaths occurring
within the city limits, except still-born
children.
''The department makes no effort to
differentiate between residents and nom
residents, and included In the totals for
the year are all deaths occurring at the
county hospital (Which receives patients
from all parts of the county which has
population of 2O0, 900 outside of the city
Of Los Angelee). and all deaths In the
various hospitals in the city, which re-
ceive many patients from various places
In adjacent states and territories.
Zone thousand one hundred and ninety
three of the deaths occurred in the sew
eral hospitals within the city and of the
l1sS deaths 459 were reported from the
county hospital
0CVGnty@ScNCn 0ulSi0CS
''The county coroner certified to 63S OF
the 4os5 deaths, Of which seventy seven
were suicides. Sixty of the suicides
were males and seventeen were females;
forty were single. ten were divorced.
twenty-seven were married: four were
natives of the Pacific coast, ffty-three
Of the Atlantic states, and twenty We're
foreign born. There were 461 deaths of
children under one year Of age, per-
centage of 11.28 of all deaths occurring
in the city during the year. Fifty-nine OF
these 461 deaths Of children were reported
to have been caused by diseases of the d.
gestiye system. Seventeen of the deaths
reported were between the ages OF one
and five years.
During the year just ended, 1924 births
were reported to the health office, OF
which eighty were still-born and eleven
were premature. There were 1884 births
of living children.
There were 274 living cases Of tuber-
culosis reported during the year and 778
deaths were reported as caused by tuber-
culosis, giving percentage Of 1852 Of
all deaths occurring In the city, lower
rate from tuberculosis than heretofore
known in Los Angeles.
Need Aid for Schools
ct regret very much that I must re-
port a thorough and satisfactory inspec-
ton of public school buildings for ventila-
tion, lighting. heating. etc, together with
inspections of children therein, has been
impossible on account of the lack Of
medical inspectors to perform such dt-
ties" says Health Officer Powers THE
great assistance rendered by systematic
medical inspection of school children has
been well demonstrated In the cities
which have inaugurated them.
1.-THE school nurses, assisted by the set
tlement nurses. have performed their
work with considerable satisfaction and
1 cannot commend their work too highly.
"a good beginning has been made to-
ward the inspection of the hotels, lodg-
Ing houses. apartment houses and tene-
ment houses.
"I cannot too earnestly urge providing
some place for the disposal of the or
binary rubbish, outside of kitchen gar
bage, which accumulates about residence
property A dumping ground, providing
for the reception of such material. would
greatly assist the sanitary inspectors In
causing back yards and vacant lots to
be cleaned.
Food inspection
'It is to be hoped that the next year
the enforcement of the state and ma
tional pure food laws will so strongly
support the health departments work
that we can show more gratifying re-
port the coming year.
THE inspection Of restaurants is step
In the right direction and something we
have asked for for several years. Inn
provements have been made and hope
that more systematic inspection during
the coming year will prove more effec-
tive
"Since the action of the last legislature,
providing better laws for the inspection
and protection of water supplies of the
cities of the state, we have had less
difficulty In preventing pollution of the
river"