The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1912-01-26
MORTALITY RATES
ARE LOWER NOW
NUMBER OF DEATHS FROM CON-
TAGloNs DISEASES, WITH
EXCEPTIONAL OF DlPH.
liberia, REDUCED.

The mortality rates from the various
contagious diseases with which the
boards of health has to do. are lower
in Michigan this winter, than they
have averaged at the same season for
i the past ten years, with the exception
of diphtheria. The death rate from
diphtheria is running about twenty
five per cent higher than the ten years
average. A study of the records and
reports has been made with view 10
ascertaining why the death rate
should be So high. The rates in the
cities are not high in some cities they
are exclusively low. The increased
mortality In the smaller towns and in
the country districts our reports
show. and from personal interview and
correspondence, It is brought out that
antitoxin is not used I'm nearly as large
n per cent of the cases in the smaller
districts as it is in the cities. our
records on the use OF antitoxin are
very incomplete, because In a great
| many instances the question was an
! titoxin used" is not answered. This
subject is of enough Importance to
warrant consistent answers TO that
question 1t is hoped that health Off
GERS will comply with that request OF
tile State Board. and hereafter fiji out
the portion of the blank regarding the
use of antltoNin. II does not seem as
| though IL should be necessary to en-
phasizc to physicians of Michigan the
Importance of using antitoxn in cases
of diphtheria.
Regarding its use as prophylactic
there are reasonable grounds for con-
troversy. This point is brought out
in some of the letters following
In order to have before us the opin-
ions of some OF the best health officers
of tho state. the secretary wrote 10
number asking for an expression of
their attitude toward the use of an
titoxin.
The following abstracts from their
replies show that these men believe In
large and persistent doses OF antitoxin:
" hNih VIC NtiG NdhlllS tdIt VI NdStAS |
at Harper hospital. | noticed each |
year for a number of years past that |
the mortality rate of the cases treated |
at the hospital was considerably less |
than that of other cases treated In |
the city at large outside of the hospi- |
tai. For example during the year end |
ing June 80, 1910, the numSer of cases
cared for at their respective homes /
was S95 and of these SO died, or 'morc |
tally rate of 9.5%, while 227 cases
were treated at the hospital and only |
I died, making a mortality rate very
over $50. This gives us diff
ference of GH % In favor of hospital
treatment. Now the conditions in the
hospital were none too good: II was AN
old building and was usually over
crowded and for this reason the man
agement of Harper hospital has dis
continued the care OF these cases. nav
ing torn down the building to make
room for n large general hospital
The only good reason that |
could find for this difference in the
In favor of the hospital
cases was that every case that came
TO the hospital was treated, under my
personal supervision. with antltoxin In
arge and persistent doses, whereas the
cases outside We're not all treated with
mis- remedy. Ordinarily we might
eXpect that the hospital mortality
would be higher becaus only the
more severe cases were sent there and
usually they were in children of the
poorer classes who were often poorly
1ourished and in other ways handi-
capped to fight the disease, and yet in ,
'pite of this difficulty our mortality was ,
lower than that outside, and
is said before, the only reason for II /,
VAS the universal use of antitoxin."
DIR. Kiefcr. Detroit. f,