Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-09-05
july is CARNAGE
Medical Association Journal Is
sues Statistics Showing In
crease in Accidents
TOTAL FOR THIS YEAR is 5,e2s
Death List From Tetanus Decreased by
Doctors Skill - Blank Cartridges tho
Worst Offenders = Eleven Made To-
tally Blind by Powder Burns - Tho
Figures.

Chicago. Sept 5.-F'ive thousand
six hundred and twenty-three men, wo-
men and children killed and injured
this is the slaughter that went to make
an American holiday.
Five thousand, six hundred and
twenty three men, women and child
rem, and mostly children. manned for
life or dead--this is the indictment
that the American Medical association,
thru it's official journal, in grim rows
OF statistics and biting editorial.
brings today against the American
people before the bar of humanity.
The bull fights with which the Amer
lean taunts his Latin neighbor sink
into significance, the tragedies of the
football gridiron which have raised
such storms of Indignation are trivial
by comparison, and only the gladia-
torial conflicts of pagan Rome rival
the carnage of the American Fourth of
July. And the Romans didn't kill
children
The terrible loss In some places. I'LL
nois being prominent example, is all
the more shocking because of the low
statistics in other places, which shows
that the loss is not an inevitable one,
but that it Is a man made slaughter,
preventable by the making and en-
forcement of laws.
More Casualties Than Last Year.
The number of casualties is 1,210
more than last year, tho the number
of deaths, 1863, is one less. The list
contains 157 more names than that of
1906, the second largest of the six
years during which statistics have
been kept by the Journal of the Amer
lean Medical association.
In 1903 the number of deaths from
sixty. This year the number of deaths
from tetanus was fifty-five and from
other causes los. The decrease and in
crease respectively have been steady
and consistent. The decrease is at
tributed to the circulation of informa-
ton warning the people against dam
ger, and prevention by the use of anti
toxin Immediately after the injury. The
Increasing efficiency of the latter Is
shown by the fact that this year sew
enty-two per cent of those afflicted
died. Willie in 1907 eighty-five per cent
of the cases ended fatally.
The statistics show that the average
duration ri time between the inocu-
iation and the appearance of symptoms
is eight days, tho in one case symp-
toms appeared in three days and in an
other not for sixteen days. When once
symptoms appear the progress OF the
disease is rapid and the inevitable
death comes quickly, thirty-six hours
being the average time before death
For the fourth consecutive year IL
lino:s reports the largest number OF
deaths from tetanus, twelve, and for
the third consecutive year New Jersey
is second.
Blank Cartridges Worst Offenders.
Blank cartridges are responsible for
1913 per cent of all cases of tetanus
6.3 per cent more than in 1907. and 1863
per cent more than in 1906, showing
apparently a relaxation of the war
against this particular instrument OF
Fourth Of July slaughter. Giant. crack
ers, blank cartridges, cannon, gunshot
powder, etc, have in the last five years
caused tetanus aa shown in the fol-