Arizona republican., 1915-06-11
REPORTS MANY MORE BIRTHS
 THAN DEATHS
In City Limits During May There Were 31 Births Compared With 13Deaths. Practically No Contagious Diseases

Probably one of the most interest ing, if not most important, report
 submitted in many months by City
 Health Officer Edward s. Godfrey
 Jr., is that covering the month of May. This report has just been pre- scented to City Manager Robert A. Craig. It shows that in the city limits during May there were but 13 deaths as compared with 31 births. In the entire registration district there were 33 deaths. as compared with 50 births. For the correspond ing period of 1914 there were report ed 30 deaths and thirty-four births in the city limits. Of this eXcep- tionally satisfactory excess of births over deaths, Officer Godfrey has this to say:
 The very large decrease in the number of deaths as compared with the slight decrease in births indi- cates that the decrease is not entirely if at all due to a decreased popu- fatiOn.'
 On April 30 there were remaining eight cases of scarlet fever and two cases of diptheria. There were re- ported during May two cases of ty-
 
 scarlet fever and one of chickenpox. of typhoid fever, not quarantined and two cases of scarlet fever
 The two cases of scarlet fever" says the report, are members of the same family No new cases have been reported since the fourteenth In May, 1914, there were reported six cases of this disease.
 The sources of infection in the two typhoid cases have not been traced An open privy vault exists about three hundred feet in the rear of the house occupied by the first case and three others in the block across the street. As long as these vaults exist, they cannot be eliminated as a source of our epedemic typhoid. Thus far this year. there have been reported but three cases of this disease as against seven in the corresponding period last year.
 The two cases of diphtheria. re- maining on the first of the month were released after obtaining nega- tive cultures. In one of them the hacilli persisted for, seven weeks. It is improbable that any but sporadic cases of either scarlet fever or diphtheria will occur until fall.
 The measles report is undoubtedly incomplete, owing largely to the fact that physicians are seldom called in attendance. The same statement may be made of whooping cough. Both these diseases have been prevalent, but to an extent impossible to esti- mate. No fatalities have thus far been reported.
 Eleven cultures have been examined for CiIhtheria, thirty-six outside calls made, fifteen nuisances in- spectcd and twelve calls made at the city jail. In addition. all public ! stables and corrals have had their attention called to Ordinance 43, l which provides for storing manure 1 in fly proof bins. A considerable number of owners of private stables have likewise been notified and as soon as the more important work of | privy elimination is disposed of I | hope to reach the remainder re- inspection of the city relative to the { existence of privies has been com menced and as the city now has the | power under the recently amended l charter to make sewer connections 1 and abate vaults, charging the ex- pense to the property. this potential | source of typhoid and other enteric | diseases can be eliminated for all , time.
 The work of checking unclean lots | which was being done under the di- i rection of this department was com Dleted on the twenty In all two thousand seven hundred and seventy-two lots were reported as needing cleaning and one thousand three hundred and siXty-one notices were sent out. As might be expected, i, there were a number of errors but he actual percentage was small. The | greatest difficulty was found in ob- aiming the proper addresses of the | owners, a very large number of cards being returned on account of i incomplete addresses.