Evening journal., 1909-10-25
CONQUERING
CONSUMPTION
Death Rate From This Disc
aSe is Steadily on the
Decrease
REAL WAR ON PLAGUE

WASHINGTON. ID. c., oct 25.-Very
slowly, yet with absolute certainty, the
war on the white plague Is being won. A
new bulletin. based on the annual re-
turns of deaths from the death regis
tration area OF the United States, was
issued from the vital statistics division
Of the census bureau yesterday. and,
like nearly every such report for the
past twenty years, II shows a decrease
in consumption. The report for 1908,
just compiled. shows that the death
rate per 100000 from tuberculosis was
l17S9. For 1907 1t was 1896; for 1900
IL was 1905 and for 1890 It was 245.4.
Decrease in Pneumonia.
Equally encouraging is the decrease
in penumonia mortality. In 1908 for
every 100000 population there were 1856
deaths from all forms OF pneumonia
In 1907 the rate was 1912: in 1900 IL
was 1s1.9-higher than for tuberculosis
and for 1890 II was 1869. II will be
seen that the penumonia death rate
rose in the ten years following 1890,
but has since decreased. The decrease
in the tuberculosis mortality has been
steady.
The great encouragement in the fig
ures shown for tuberculosis lies In the
fact that so much has been accomplish
ed In a war that has just begun. only
a few years ago the consumption vic
tim was given mp as lost; the only
thing he hoped TO do was to prolong the
fight. Now the disease is ',nown to be
both preventable and durable. and the
forces Of medicine throughout the world
have engaged I'm the campaign that is TO
wipe Il or the face Of the earth. In the
bulletin Issued Chief statsticlan Cressy
L. Wilbur says;
1T is probable that the great atten-
tion that has been given TO this dis
ease throughout the International Con-
gress on tuberculosis, held at Wash
ngton in 1908. and the organization OF
many state and local societies has al
ready begun to have its effect upon the
mortality from this disease. A conun-
ued decline In the death rate from IL
from year TO year may be expected
The total number OF deaths from all
forms OF tuberculosis returned in 1908
was $3.50, exceeding those OF any pre-
vious year OF registration. but the death
rate per 100000 for 1905 is considerably
less than that for 1901.
In all registration states the death
rate from tuberculosis showed q decline,
except IN Colorado, Rhode Island and
Vermont.
Each OF the following causes of death
was responsible for az least 5000 deaths
OF male bread-winners during the year:
Typhoid fever. tuberculosis Of lungs can
Ger, apoplexy and paralysis, heart disease.
pneumonia. Brghts disease, suicide, ac-
cident The total number OF deaths OF oc-
cupied persons from these causes was for
males. 1sS. .259. and for females. 1884 OF
the deaths OF occupied males. 20 is3. or
fifteen per cent. we're due TO tubei culosis
of the lungs and OF the occupied females.
5.5il, OF twenty-one per cent. were due
20 the same cause. In tho registration
arta OF the United states. during m,
year 1908. 500 deaths out Of every 10 dea,
between the ages Of twenty-five ant
thlrty-four years were caused by tuber.
GHOSTS OF the lungs. or nearly one death
out OF every three. During the same age
period 4l.9 per cent Of the bookke epers,
clerks and c1pyists. 40.1 per cent OF the
BARRIERS ard hair-dressers. 400 per cent. (
the servants. AL per cent. OF the com
positors printers and pressmen Az per
cent. OF the tailors. and 256 per cent. Of
the farmers who died in the registration
year during 1908 we're victims OF pulmo-
nary tuberculosis.
Cancer Increasing.