The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1912-02-19


10 INDIANS ID Alaska at all viii
be left in two or three generations
unless the government At once takes
vigorous measures to check disease
among them, This is in substance
the statement made in a report by
surgeon in the public health and
marine hospital services. who was
sent ON special detail to make a sur
yey OF the health conditions OF
southern Alaska. The survey was
made for the federal bureau Of eduss
cation, which has general super
vision Of Alaska natives, and as re-
suit OF II an estimate for an appro-
prlation of s7os0d9 for additional
medical work among the natives Is
now before Congress
DR.. Foster discusses the decrease
in the native population OF Alaska
as follows:
owing to the unusual lack OF
vital statistics in a pioneer country
such as this, the exact facts on which
to base an opinion have never been
available and most of the state
ments have been mere conjectures
At sitka accurate records have been
kept by the churches, and they
they show that for period Of siyo
years and seven months the annual
birth rate has been 70 g per thous-
ana and me annual death rate IS. a
pen tholgand.F During this period,
with an estimated population of 400.
there were more. deaths than, birth.
y. .stTRs Setufns Of the United States
Census Bufeau show that in the
last tenqyears there has been de-
crease iinsthe tStal Indian population
approximately equal to fourteen per
cent, or one and one-half per cent
per year This corresponds very
closely to the rates as figured at
Sitka, and they may be taken as In
dicating fairly correctly the rates
for the whole country. The death
rate in the United States varies from
seven and eight per thousand to
thirtyIave per thousand, depending
upon the locality. AN average
death rate may be placed at twenty
two to- twenty-three per thousand.
The very unusual mortality in
Alaska i. e., 1854 per thousand, is
to be attributed largely to pulmon-
airy tuberculosis, and unless it is
checked in some way it will result
lin the extinction of the natives in
sixty or seventy years. Fortunate
ly, 1t is counteracted to a certain
extent by an unusually large birth
rate, but the birth rate win probably
decrease as time goes on"
|, In accordance with these findings,
Dr.. Fosters recommendations in
clude the establishment of a tuber-
culosis sanitarium, provisions for
which is made in the appropriation
bill which the Bureau of Education
now mas before Congress. conserva-
tive estimates put the proportion
of natives suffering from some form
OF tubercular trouble at from thirty
to fifty per cent. This is in addi-
tion to some fifteen per cent who
have diseases of the eye and an unu-
sually large percentage of sufferers
from specific blood poisoning or al
lied diseases. Without medical at
tention, natives mingling with the
whites furnish an element4of con-
siderable danger to the entire popu-
latlon of Alaska.
The need of the hospital is en-
phasized by Dr.. Foster. who re-
ports:
Under present conditions the In
dian can not be effectively treated
in his own home except for a few
minor complaints. Every physician
Of experience in Alaska states that
they will not carry out instructions
or take medicine as directed. If
the, drug is palatable or they can
feel Its effects, they are very likely
to take 1T all at once dose. If 1t is
distastefuI or If no Immediate re-
suits follow, they take it few
times and then stop.
IL know of case where al
physician was called in to see a ma.
tive i'll with pneumonia. He left
some strychnine tablets with explicit
directions that one was to be taken
every two hours. The brother OF
the sick man. despite these direc-
lions, reasoning that II one was
good, more were better, gave the
entire supply at one time, and the
man died in a few hours.
while it is not known that the
was the cause of his
death, 1t is very evident from such