Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-18
BY EUGENE LYMAN FISK. M. D.
Fellow of New York Academy of Medicine

Fellow of New York Academy of Medicine
posa at all times, regardless of any apparent freedom
from epidemic infectious influences in any par
ticuar locality, should be rgidly enforced. The ty
phoid carrier is than likely to infect milk and
other food supplies if his occupation brings him IN
contact with such material. Also he may contaml
nate the water supply especially if he resides in rural
district.
THE wonderful achievements of Colonel Gorgas in
cleaning up the Canal Zone excite enthusiasm
chiefly among medical men. The public at large placid
ly accepts such results the natural outcome of Amer
Americans do things. This canal is big undertaking.
1t baed the eng of France; but will dig the
ditch and conquer the rocks and sand just have
conquered the microbes Of yellow fever and malaria
Thus might the average citizen express himself regard
ing these Stupendous achievements
But let us the searchight from the pesthoe
verted into health resort lit is not real health resort
by the way: the tropical climate is still there, and it
will leave its mark on many good Amencan) and d.
rect it northward throughout fair land. What
do see? Must Colonel Gorgas and other enerprsng
Captains of Sanitation weep like Alexander, because
there unsanitary worlds to conquer! Alas,
no! Put sanitary engineer IN aeroplane and send
him scurryng the country from to and
he would make you map that might well daunt veri
table Napoleon of hygiene. He would tell you that,
comparing the States with the Canal Zone before Cor
gas cleaned it up the honorS weight tor age, are with
the Canal Zone that the present death rate from
typhoid and other preventable diseases is far dis
graceful to the wealthy Republic in the temperate zone
than the former death rate from yellow fever and malaria
to primitive little Panama. with its torrd heat enerva
ing climate, and limited resources, dependent for relief
upon commercial organization like the French
Canal Company
While the writer has not at his command sanitary
aviator prepare spot map in proof of these
tions, it is possible by working backward from effect
cause show with fair degree of accuracy the SAM
tary nsuciences of country In attempting this.
confronted by the extreme backwardness OF the
United States the matter OF vital statistics. Only
sxtythre per cent of the population is represented in
the United States registration area, wherein reason
ably system of registration OF births and deaths
except Maryland and Kentucky (the latter admitted
1922 although many Southern cities included;
hence it is impossible to take the figures accurately
rejecting the conditions existing throughout the
country.
Starting with the registration figures which we know
to be reasonably accurate, find that in 1910 there
twelve thousand six hundred and seventy-three
deaths in the registration from typhoid fever,
equivalent to death rate of two hundred and thirty
five to the million of population. While these figures
show decline in the death rate from typhoid fever of
forty per since $780, it is well known that such
decline has taken place in the nonregsratlon area In
fact the conditions revealed by the hookworm inves
CATION and the scattered statistics that are available
for Southern cities raise question as to whether there
has been any material decrease in the typhoid death
the nonregistraton within recent years In
1900 the typhoid death rate for the entire country was
four hundred and sixtylve to the million Assuming
that since then there has been decline for the entire
country of about thirtyve per cent, equivalent to
that exhibited by the registration area we should lind
death for the United States of three hundred and
two to the million of population which exceeds the
of two hundred and sixtynne reported by Spain
for 1909. This places the United States easily the
leader among civilized nations IN the death rate from
flth-caused malady.
Ignoring estimates however, and cllng1ng to the ac
registration reports the following comparative
figures, compiled by the writer should be sufficiently
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