The Adair County news., 1913-12-03
Valuable StatiStics.

year 1872 are much more satisfactory
in number and quality than 1911, the
first year of the operation OF this law.
The causes of death are more accu-
rately stated and the personal and
statistical particulars are given in
greater detail: for this reason the GER
tifcates of both births and deaths
have greater value as family record
and enables the State Board of Health
to locate more accurately epidemics of
dangerous, communicable diseases and
furnish better index for the health
policy of the Board.
BIRTHS.
The total number of births reported
in 1911 IN Kentucky was 60,732. The
total number reported for 1912 was
62, 1874; an increase of 1,452 over the
preceding year. Based upon each
100, 900 population the rate for 1911
was 26 80; and for 1912 the rate was
26. 10.
DEATHS.
Exclusive of stillbirths, which are
never counted in the figures given out
| by this bureau either in births or
deaths, there were 1885 deaths in
this State in 1912 OF these 5,162
were of infants under one year of age;
2,344 were of children aged one to
four years; and 1876 were of persons
aged sixty-fve years and, over. This
gives death rate of 1873 per thous-
and people. There is decrease in
all of the rates of preventable diseases
except diptheria, pneumonia, menin-
gifts, influenza, diarrhoea and enter
tits q years and over;) decrease of
529 in the number of deaths reported
from tuberculosis; a decrease of 297
in the number of deaths from typhoid
fever.
| PELLAGRA.
There are ia deaths reported from
the State from pellegra, of which 81
were white and II colOred. The coun-
ties of Christian, Fayette, and Jeffer-
son show the largest number of deaths
from this disease because the State
hospitals for the insane, where large
number of these cases are confined,
are located there.
HOOKwORM.
There were 10 deaths reported from
! hookWOrm disease in Kentucky in 1912
while none were reported in 1911.
This is due most likely to the fact
that this disease has been recognized
only a short while by our physicians
and it is quite likely that the number
of deaths from this disease is very
much larger than is given here and
will be reported as such, as the knowl-
edge of this disease is disseminated
among the physicians OF the State.
TUBERCULOSIS.
There were 4,773 deaths from tuber-
culosis (alI forms) in the State in 1912
That is, tuberculosis was responsible
for 10 9 per cent, of all the deaths re-
ported, or in other words, about one
funeral out of every six deaths was
due to this disease. The decrease in
the number of deaths from this dis
ease since the report for 1911 is too
marked for one to say that it is
the result of efforts to control the dis
ease. Such results in health work are
too sudden and reports of eight months
for 1913 indicate that the total num-
Der will exceed the 1912 rate.
1t is estimated that there are 49,
1914 persons in Kentucky who are suffer
ing with this disease, in the active
stage, most of whom have not the re-
hottest idea of its dangerous nature
and do not exercise the simplest meth
DDS to protect members of their own
families or the community in which
they live. AS long as this kind of ig.
norance prevails it cannot be hoped
that the death rate from this scourge
will be materially reduced.
PREVENTABLE DISEASES.
OF the 1886 deaths reported it is a
significant fact that 1l,S41 were
caused by preventab!e diseases or, in
other words, Of every one hundred
funerals that were held in the state
during the year, 800 were caused by
diseases that are practically prevent
able. Omitting the physical and
mental suffering of those afflicted it is
computed by careful estimates that
the loss to Kentucky each year from
this source is approximately twenty
eight and half million dollars or over
four times the amount of the entire
revenue of Kentucky, or, is several
million dollars more than is spent by
Kentuckians to maintain all the gov
eminent of the counties, all the
churches expend, and all the money
that is spent for public and private
schools. Kentucky appropriates $780,
600 to maintain the department of