Evening journal., 1911-03-07

tractor. This amendment, feel.
would relieve TO considerable extent
some of the embarrassing situations
your secretary is placed in when a
complaint is entered at the office, as
the present regulations are that the
contractor has six hours in which to !
collect the garbage after he receives /
the complaint from the office.
During the past summer the execu-
tive officers of the department made |
an inspection of the conditions under !
which street vendors were manufac- !
turing and selling iced syrups, ice
cream, etc. Samples of these pro-
ducts were also taken and submitted
for analysis, and the report
showed there was nothing in the ice
cream that would prove injurious TO
health, save the conditions under
which it was sold, namely on the
street and from dirty containers, etc.
The proprietors were ordered to clean
their containers and to use wholesome
and clean materials, as we'll as the
places of manufacture were ordered
cleansed where found dirty, and in
several instances It was necessary to
order the places of manufacture va
Gated and more sanitary quarters Sc
cured before the proprietors we're
again allowed to engage In the busi-
ness. II seems to me that If these
peddlers were compelled to obtain
permit from the Health Department,
conditional on a license being granted,
much dirt and offense would be pre-
vented.
Smallpox Cases.
THE city was particularly fortunate
in not having any cases of smallpox
to occur during the greater portion OF
the year. In the month Of December
there we're ten cases reported to the
Department and by promptly removing
the afflicted ones 10 the Emergency
Hospital, placing a strict quarantine
on the different houses, employing
guards to watch the same day and
night, and by compelling all who came
in any contact with the afflicted ones
to be vaccinated, and by thoroughly
! tumigating the premises, we we're en-
abled to suppress a threatened epi-
demic in a remarkably short time
The entire cost OF handling these
cases, TO the city. was only about ST.
$780, which included the expenses Of
providing a nurse at the Emergency
Hospital, maintaining a guard day
and night on the quarantined houses,
/ furnishing provisions for the inmates
Of these houses. which numbered Il
families, during the quarantine period
of II days, and in one house, where a
second case developed on the seven
teenth day, it was necessary to main
tain the quarantine for another period
of IL days. making the quarantine "a
days on this one house, which con-
tained four families, numbering a
total of II people. The expenses of
/ furnishing virus, alcohol, sterile band
ages, adhesive plaster. etc, used in
the vaccinating Of the employees OF
the two establishments is also in
cluded in the amount specified.
Increase in Diphtheria.
Diphtheria has been more prevalent
during the year 1910 than It was dur
ing the year 1909. There were report
ed a total Of 127. cases Of which %
died giving a mortality OF 173 per
cent. The average number OF deaths
per year from diphtheria in this city
for ten years past was 25; the total
for the year just closed shows a re-
duction in mortality Of 3 from the
average.
Scarlet Fever.
I huAiA AlAH NFdl Iucl 1lUctu AntIN
were reported 251 cases of scarlet. fe-
yer with II deaths. mortality Of a.
per cent. This is considered a very
low per cent OF mortality for scarlet
fever.
Vital Statistics.
Consumption caused lac deaths. 4O7
infants died under years OF age. OF
which number 169 died from intestinal
diseases.
During the year 300 bodies we're
brought into the city for interment
and 2S3 sent away for burial outside
the city; 121 other bodies we're
brought to Wilmington and then sent
10 rural cemeteries for interment. OF
the $50 local death certificates re-
ceived (this number includes 124 still
births), 1872 we're issued by the coro-
ner.
Birth Rate Higher.
During the year 1.941 white and
) 141 colored births were recorded. n
total OF 2.Os2 as compared with 2.072
for the preceding year. or the
, 2OS2 birth certificates received $40
we're returned by midwives.
The birth rate for the year was
2S.S1 in the one Thousand inhabitants
) as compared with 2227 in the one
thousand for the preceding year.
) Many More Marriages.
The number of marriages perform
; ed in Wilmington during the past
year shows that the city is still main
{ tanning its reputation as a convenient
J place to be united in the bonds of
2 matrimOny
3 During the year 1926 white and 121
I colored marriages were reported, a
{ total Of 3,O46 as compared with 2,90S
] for the previous year.
The department has been called
upon a number Of times for analysis
. of certain food stuffs, which for rea-
sons we're believed to be contaminat-
ed There were also a number OF
SAMPLES OF well water received for