The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-09-28
INFANTILE PARALYSIS AND PE,I.-
LAGRA
In the Census Bureaus Registra-
ton Area.

poliomyelitis, or infantile paralysis,
116 from pellagra, SIS from rabies, or
hydrophobia, and deaths from lep-
| rosy in 1909, in the death registra-
tion area Of continental United States.
which comprises over 55 per cent of
the total population, according to
the Census Bureaus forthcoming bull
letin on mortality statistics for 1909
| submitted to Census Director Durand
| by DR.. Cressy L. Wilbur, chief statisti-
clan for vital statistics.
1t Is reported that of the $50
| deaths from infantile paralysis 552
| were of white and only II colored
| persons. There was somewhat
| greater incidence of disease among
| males and an increased mortality in
August, September, and October.
The bulletin states that no statis-
| tical segregation of intantile paralysis
as cause Of death has been made
heretofore. out the increasing impor-
| tance of the disease and it's wide prev
| alence throughout the country in the
| form of local epidemics render
statement of the mortality important
Like meningitis, which it somewhat
resembles. it is difficult to obtain an
exact separation of the deaths from
the specific infectious disease, acute
| anterior poliomyelitis, from other in
1ectlons of similar nature. Acute an
terror poliomyeltis is described by the
bulletin as an acute infectious disease
chiefly affecting children in the first
hVe 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 or which were those in Ver-
| mont In 1894, and in New York and
Connecticut in 1907. The $50 deaths
compiled for the registration area for
1909 were widely distributed, and in
dlcate endemic or epidemic prevail
ence 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
tnat for the nonregistration States
the deaths are only those returned
from the registration cities contained
therein. The deaths from acute an
terror poliomyelitis in the registra-
ton States numbered as follows: Cali
fornia. IL (1 in San Francisco); Colo
rado, Il in Denver); Connecticut.
b; I in New Haven); District
of Columbia Getty of washington), 1;
Indiana, IA; Maine, 6; Maryland, 4;
Il in Baltimore); Massachusetts. 62
(21 In Boston and in Worchester)
Michigan, 16 g in Detroit); New
Hampshire, IL; New Jersey. "a G. in
Jersey City, In Newark); New York.
115 g in Buffalo, Ga in Greater New
York, In Rochester, in Syracuse)
Ohio 16 G In Cincinnati. 2 in Cleve-
land); Pennsylvania, &c 6 in Phila-
delphia. in Pittsburg, 1 in Scran-
TOM; Rhode Island, 4 6 in Provi-
dence); South Dakota, 6; Vermont,
2; Washington, 6; and Wisconsin, 81
q in Wilwaukee).
The disease does not seem particu-
larly to affect the large cities Of 1OO,-
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:
| Alabama, 2; Illinois, 10 CT in Chic
| ago); Kentucky, 2 G in Louisville); t;
Louisiana. 1 (New Orleans); Mime
| sofa. 80 (21 in Minneapolis, So in
| st. PauD; Missouri, C1 In Kansas
| CITY, in st. Louis); Nebraska, 8
(Omaha); North Carolina. 1; Ore
gon. 2 (Portland); South Carolina, 1
| (Charleston); Tennessee. 1 Texas. 2;
Utah, 3. and Virginia, 8.
death was reported only in 292 Of
The duration of illness prior to
| death was reported only in 292 Of
| the $50 cases. In 19 Of these it was
l year or more. 1 each being reported
| as of 10, IA, 16, IS, and 20 years's
| duration. These may represent the
| result of old attacks or perhaps may
include deaths from other forms of
poliOmyelitis. There were 40 cases
| of duration of illness in excess of
month but less than a year, 81 of
| which were under months The
| great majority of the fatal cases re-
turned were of very brief duration,
253. or 81 per cent being of less than