The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1915-08-26
FACTS ABOUT BLIND
kfliction Less Common in Amer.
lea Than Other Countries.
More Prevalent Among Men Than
Among Women-More Blind indians
and Negroes Than Whites--
Many self-supportlno.

o
Washington.-The blind population
of the United States in 1910 numbered
67.272, or 62.3 to each 10000 of the
total population in that year. Blind
ness Is less common in America than
In most other countries; 1t has appar.
eutly decreased among the youngest
classes of the population in the last
half century; 1t is more prevalent
among men than among women; it is
very much more prevalent among In.
dams, and considerably more prevalent
among negroes, than among whites.
Trades taught in schools or workshops
or the blind have equipped more than
1900 blind persons for total or partial
self-support.
These are some of the facts brought
out in q bulletin, "The Blind Popula-
ton of the United States. 1870" re-
Gently issued by Director Sam L. Rog.
ers of the bureau of the census, depart.
ment Of commerce, and prepared un.
der the direction of DR.. Joseph A. Hill,
expert special agent in charge of re.
vision and results.
The total number of blind persons in
the world Is roughly estimated at e..
100000. The only countries and prov.
inces in which the ratio Of the blind
to the total population are lower than
that Of the United States 1928 per 100.
000) are Canada, where the ratio was
40 per 100000 in 1911; Belgium.
where 1t was 43.5 in 1910; Denmark.
62.7 In 1911; Germany, 900 in 1900:
Netherlands, 1873 in 1890; New South
Wales, 61.4 in 1911;. western Australia,
60.3 in 1911; and New Zealand. 47.s
in 1911.
In the United States blindness ia
most prevalent in New Mexico and Ne
vada, in which states the ratios oil
blind to total population in 1910 were
1898 to 100000 and 1855 to 100000.
respectively. The high ratio for these
states are due to the fact that Indians.
among whom trachoma (granulated
eyelids) is Of frequent occurrence In
those sections of the country, constl'
tute relatively large elements in their
population. In Arizona, Kentucky,
Tennessee and Vermont the ratios are
also hish-s5.s. "a. 1915 and s4.6. re-
s%pectively. The relatively large In,
! dian population of Arizona is RESPONSE.
BILE for the high ratio in that state;
trachoma is prevalent In certain parts
of Kentucky and Tennessee; and In
Vermont there are relatively more peo.
pie Of advanced ages than In other
parts of the country, to which fact is
doubtless due the high ratio for that
state. since susceptibility to blindness
increases with advancing age.
In 1850 and at every succeeding cen.
u the proportion Of blind has been
greater among males than among fe.
males.
Although blindness may occur at
any time Of life. 1t is peculiarly a de.
feet incident to old age. In fact, ap.
proximately one-half-49.4 per cent
of the blind population reported in
1910 were sixty years of age and yer,
whereas only about one-fifteenth-6.8
per cent-of the total population were
sixty years OF age and over.
Among native whites, the numuer Of
blind persons per 100, 900 population OF
the same ace and nativity was only
fifty-fve, whereas for the total popu:
lation the ratio was 1913 to LOO 1000.
The corresponding ratios for other ele.
ments of the population were. For
eign-born whites, 74.5 to $1,000: ne.
groes, 80 to 1901 00; Indians, 1925 to
10O. 900; Chinese, japanese and all 9th.
er nonwhites. 23.2 to 100000. The fact
that blindness is more common among
foreign-born than among native whites
Is, however, due to the fact that the
former class contains relatively more
people of advanced age than does the
latter.
OF the 31.473 blind males ten years
Of age and over in 1910. only 1876, or
25.3 per cent, were reported as being
gainfully employed, while Of the a..
900 blind females ten years Of age and
over only 1.s46, or Sc per cent, were
reported as gainfully employed. The
corresponding percentages with refer.
ence to the total population were S1.3
males and 23.4 for females. 1t does
not follow, however, that more than
5000 blind persons were actually self.
supporting, since in most cases their
earnings were far from sufficient to
constitute . livelihood. and often
amounted to Q mere pittance Of less
than 500 9 year. In this connection