The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1910-09-30
lNFANTlLE PARALYSIS AND PEI.
LAGRA.
Number of Deaths From Each in 1909
in the Census Bureaus Regis
tration Area.

Washington, d. c., Sept. 24.-There
were $50 deaths from acute anterior
Ipoliomyelitis, or infantile paralysis,
116 from pelIagra, So from rabies, or
hydrophobia, and deaths from lep-
rosy in 1909, in the death registration
area of continental United States,
which comprises over 55 per cent of
the total population, according to the
census bureaus forthcoming bulletin
on mortality statistics for 1909 sub
mitted to Census Director Durand by
DR., Cressy L. Wilbur, chief statisti-
clan for vital statistics.
1t is reported that, of the 569 deaths
from infantile paralysis, 552 were of
white and only II colored persons.
There was a somewhat greater Incl
dence of disease among males and an
increased mortality in August, Sep
tember and October
The bulletin states that no statis-
tical segregation of infantile paralysis
as a cause of death has been made
heretofore, but the increasing impor-
tance of the disease and its wide prev
Ialence throughout the country in the
form of local epidemies render a
statement of the mortality important.
Like meningitis which it somewhat re-
sembles, it is difficult to obtain an ex-
act separation of the deaths from the
specific infectious disease. acute an
terror poliomyelitis, from other infec-
tions of similar nature. Acute anterior
poliomyelitis is described by the bull
letin as an acute infectious disease
chiefly affecting children in the first
five years of life, and while not infre-
quently fatal is of even more serious
consequence as the cause of more or
less permanent paralysis and atrophy
of muscles. Numerous outbreaks have
occurred in this country, the most i'm
portant of which were those in Yer
mont, in 1894, and in New York and
Connecticut. in 1907 The 500 deaths
compiled for the registration area for
1909 were widely distributed and indi-
cate endemic or epidemic prevalence
in many parts of the country. 1t
should be remembered, the bulletin
points out that the census data re-
late only to registration sources, and
that for the nonregistration states the
deaths are only those returned from
the registration cities contained there
in. The deaths from acute anterior
poliomyeltis in the registration
states numbered as follows: California
l2 q in San Francisco; Colorado, 6
G in Denver). Connecticut, 6 Q in
New Haven; District of Columbia.
Getty of Washington, | Indiana, IA;
Maine 6 Maryland, 1 Ct in Balti-
morel; Massachusetts, So (21 in Bos-
ton and / in Worchester) Michigan.
16 G. in Detroit; New Hampshire,
IN; New Jersey "a g in Jersey City,
6 in Newark; New York. 115 e in
Buffalo 64 in Greater New York, ? in
Rochester, l in Syracuse); Ohio, 16
q in Cincinnati in Cleveland)
Pennsylvania, 10 Is in Philadelphia.
s in Pittsburg, l in Scrantonl; Rhode
Island A 6 in Providence) South
Dakota, 6; Vermont, . Washington,
8; and Wisconsin, 81 q in Milwau-
bMe)
The disease does not seem particu-
larry to affect the large cities of 100.
600 and over population in 1900, as
given in the preceding list
For the nonregistration states there
were. in the registration cities only,
deaths numbering as follows: Ala
bama, .; Illinois, 19 Q7 in Chieago):
Kentucky, q in Louisville); Louisi-
ana, l (New Oreleansl; Minnesota, 50
(21 in Minneapolis. 5S in st. PAUL.:
Missouri, q in Kansas City. in
st. Louis}; Nebraska, (omaha);