Evening star., 1912-09-15
lHE average Washington

vHE average Washingtonian to-
day can count upon q span OF
life from nine to eleven years
longer than that which would
have been allotted him only ten
years ago. Within twenty years his la
bility of dying from tuberculosis has
been reduced more than one-third, and
from typhoid more than two-thirds. OF
the Washington babies born today five
live beyond the first year where but two
survived the initial twelvemonth in 1890.
OF the Washington children but ono dies
from scarlet fever now as against six
Der Of deaths from diphtheria in the Dis
trict have been reduced by ten-elevenths.
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These are a few Of the siAelights on
the health Of Washington which are
brought out in the exhibit held in con-
nection with the fifteenth International
Congress on Hygiene and Demography.
While the congress itself does not meet
until September q, and then will hold
session for only week, Its exhibit Will
be opened to the public tomorrow night
CMonday. September 16) and will continue
until October 4. The exhibit, which Is
the first OF the kind ever helc IN this
country. Is situated in the Red Cross
building, at 18th and B streets north
west. and admission to the halls ~ en-
tirely free.
The showing Of health conditions in
Washington Is given In six sections.
under the control respectively OF the Dis
trict health department. the superintend-
ent OF Fairgrounds, the street cleaning
department. the board for the condemna-
tion Of insanitary buildings. the sewer
department and the filtration plant. OF
these the most extensive exhibit is that
Of the board of health. which was plan
ned by DR.. Arthur l.. Murray. assisted
by H. D. Hunter.
The board Of health's exhibit deals with
the prevention of infant mortality; with
means for the collection Of vital statis-
tics; with the chances OF life which dwell
ers in the District have had at various
ages and over period Of years; with
their prospects ts Of surviving .s ns given dis
chances of life. as against those Of other
citizens. The white and colored tnhabit-
ants Of the city are considered both sep
arately and together in all Of these COM
pilatiOns. This exhibit was prepared es-
pecially for the present occasion. and
practically none of the subject-matter
presented has been thrown into the rela-
tions now assumed under DR.. Murray's 8
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Unconditional figures. scientific aver
ages and cold. dispassionate tabulations
compose the material with which DR..
Murray had to work 1t was his problem
to give this matter the vitalizing touch; !;
to make 1t tell a story to the heart. as
well as to the head. and he has accom-
nj in 90 ~ r.
showing the distribution Of diphther1a
throughout the various sections Of the
District DR.. Murray prepared a map, on
which he placed a blue peg over each
house where a case occurred.
Scarlet fever was indicated in the
same manner on another map by scarlet
pegs; typhoid on third map by yellow
pegs. while black pegs dotted about on
fourth map showed the presence Of
tuberculosis. In this way the average
is expected to grasp far more real
istically the health conditions Of his
immediate neighborhood than he might
If the statistics were put before him in
column form.
Other statistics are handled through
the medium of graphs" that is, lines
are drawn. corresponding in length to
the size of the respective numbers they
represent, with the result that the OBJ
server does not have to keep a mass Of
figures in his mind in order to appreci-
ate the progress OF the campaign di-
rected in the District toward checking
disease for a single glance at a row
of black lines, gridironed across the
ing up and dipping back, will show with
greater impressiveneSs the truths which
the health authorities desire to drive
home than would any array Of figures
handled merely as problem in mathe-
matics. And in addition, the story Of
the statistics Is REINFORCED and IL
Illuminated by an abundance Of photo
graphs.
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Told in this way. the results Of the
Districts long battle to reduce the ter
rible loss by infant mortality are strik-
ing indeed. In 1890 the proportion Of
babies dying before the age Of one year
was 6.3S per thousand Of total popula-
ton. in 1892 the death toll reached its
maximum OF 6.7S. and in 1911 this
enormous loss dwindled to a mere 2.70.
To forestall any possible objection that
this difference might be caused. at least
In part by q fiuctuation in the birth rate
itself. DR.. Murray has prepared a COM
panion chart. showing the percentage
TO the reported live births of deaths
among babies less than a year old. In
1890 this percentage was 34.9. in 1892
ing 3S.2. and In 1911 1T dropped to 1876.
Thus throughout their entire course the
two charts maintain an almost exact
ratio
Furthermore DIR. Murray shows that
the percentage Of infant mortality to
living births among the white popula-
tion has dropped since 1892 from sos
to 1912 In 1911. and among the colored
from 48.1 to 20.6.
Other exhibits describe exactly how this
decrease in infant mortality among the
babies Of the District has been effected.
There's Is q big placard. entitled How to
Keep Your Baby Well" which the health