The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-01-06

! preventabie causes, 1911. s3s; 1912, 4ss;
+Iss decrease. Remaining (nonprevcn-
table,. 1911 2.0se; 1912, 2.22zi 1ss In
( crease,
! Departments Good Work.
! This table shows that there wero i2S
more deaths In 1919 than in 1911 from
causes which are commonly regarded
ss beyond the power of sanitary science
tand hence Of any health departmenD
20 control But the reduction of l2s
IA the number of deaths from eight
prcyeutahia diseases was sufficient not
only to overcome this Increase, but to
20 further and bring about an actual
decrease In the numbar of deaths In
Richmond from all causes.
1T iR only fair to state continued
the c6icf health officer, that In CON
nection with two Of the diseases In
cIudcd tn the first OF these tables
rnesEfes and wnooping cough--the
health department does not claim all
the credit for the great reduction In
the number OF deaths. These two dis
eases normally show great tiuctuation
ga the number Of deaths which they
occasion from year to year
THE year 1912 was not "A measles
year or a whooping cough year. Rt9h!
now we are In the midst OF q decided
epidemic of measles and we know
that in spite OF the fact that we be-
iieve our work VIII have a most de-
ct6e9 effect In lesSC ming the number Of
deaths which occur this year stiil there
will inevitably be many more deaths
from measles in 1913 than there were.
ia 1919 in all reliability the same
viii be true of whooping cough. II we
eliminate from the above tables land
toEs Their they were responsible for
decrease Of fifty-seven out Of the total
reduction Of i29b. we etill have a re-
ductiou VI sfventy-two deaths from
preventahfe diseases. This however,
d F.r 1.
part OF the reduction in the deaths from
even these two causes was very prob.
ably due TO the work - the Richmond
health department.
I've confidently claim that our work
was directly the means or saving
great many lives Take typhoid fever
for example We have done more
work in connection with this disease
OF the record Of what has been ac>
compllshed
Conquer Typhoid Fever.
The average annual death rate from
this disease during the twenty~six
years fiSs0 70 1905 inclusive) proceed
Ing the reorganiza tion of the heat
department was us per 100000 For
TIE SIX fun years since reorxaniza-
ton the average rate has been 2ss.
for the past four years It has been
~ ard for the past year It was SIS.
The results which have been accom-
pIishtd In connection with this one dis
case alone has saved to the city many
times the entire cost of running the
health department
'lnfautile dtarrhea Is not commonly
regarded q Is an infectious disease, but
our Investigations of the past few
wears haze convinced US that It very
often is infectious though not by any
means a!w5 s. SO. But IN nearly every
case IL is prHventabie We have worked
yerN hard Tor the past two years In
connection with this disease, and. in
decd, IN connection with infant NOR
taItY IN general The death rate from
ipfautiie diarrhea IN the years just
closed offers abundant proof OF the
value OF this work,
Almost fnd'e points or interest
could Be shown IN connection with our
death rate for 1912 from different
nauses hut thu above viii give some
idea OF the subject. AS IS always thu
case, il is the ath rate of the colored
rate as high as It is. For tho year
lust closed. the death rate for the
white race was 1852 for the colored
race II was 2190--not far from twice
Finally. here is table. giving, ir
the form both of actual number Of
death rates, the general results. In
Guiding several points which have not
been touched on In the above discus
white: Population. s2.587 Actual
number % deaths-Nonreside In
clrded. 1872; nonresidents excluded.
i-kbt- IfFaEH rat" per irHBu--NOrres1-
dents included. 1852; nonresidents ex-
cludCd 14I4
Colored: Population. 4S.tSI. Actual
ruWter or eaths-nonresidents inciud-
I'd. J 3&3; nonresideuts excluded. 1858
DeatA rate per -Nopresidents In
Guided 2790; uonresidents excluded.
26l4
Total: Population. f30,sss. Actual
number of deaths-%onresid In
Guided 27f5; nonresidents excluded.
2.t2i Death rete ner j .00G-NOnresi-
DENIS included 20Ts;. nonresidents ex-
Guided 1856