Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1916-02-04
LA CROSSE REDUCES
DEATH RATE EACH YEAR
Remarkable Record Made in Five
Years That Full Time Health
Officer Has Seen in Charge

A reduction in infant dea hs from
AZ babies under one year Of age Ill
1911 to 16 in 1915 is one CT the
striking details III a remark able
showing made by the city Of La
Crosse in the last five years. La
Crosse was the first city in Wiscon-
sin outside Of Milwaukee to employ
a full time city health officer, Dr..
y. NJ. Furstman taking charge OF
the work in 1911 His fifth az
nual report, just completed shows
a decrease in the infant death rate,
in the morbidity death rate for
contagious diseases and in the gen
eral death rate which is regarded as
a most convincing argument fer The
economic value OF a well organized
health department.
In 1911 there were 253 homes
uuarantined because Of contagious
disease; in 1912, 1862; 1913, 1856; 1918,
So; and in 1915 there were but -;
this gradual decrease representing q
considerable saving OF money, time
and comfort Of citizens as well 2s
decrease in sickness ana correspond
inglv better health and better at
tendance at school. Records of the
department show 1873 cases CT scar
let fever and two deaths in 1911
while for 1915 there were but 10
cases and one death. Dlph{herl&
cases in 1911 numbered GA with eight
deaths and in 1915 there were bat
81 cases and 1 death, medical IN
spection of school children beng
given large share Of the oredi,
for the reduction in contagious DIS
ease. The total number Of con-
tagiOus disease cases decreased
steadily from 1872 in 1911 to 49, II
1914 and up to the last Of NoVem-
Der it looked as though 1915 would
establish a new record. Then Ia
Crosse got it's share Of the measles
and more than doubled the figures
for the entire year. Had it not besn
for this run of measles, prevalen.
all over the state, Lacrosse would
have had 70 cases Of contagious DIS
ease during 1915 Measles made the
figure 1871
Basing its infant death rate On
statistics from which all out-of-toWA
deaths have been deducted, La
Crosse has the following significant
baby record for five. years.
1911-7O7 deaths under one year
per 1000 living births.
1912-539 deaths per 1000
1913-43.9 deaths per loo.
1914-333 deaths per LOCO.
1915-3043 deaths per 1908.
This makes La Crosse one Of 1he
cities with the lowest infant death
rate in the state, if not the loves =.
One of the features Of the work IN
which private philanthropy is COP
Grating with the city, is in the
maintenance of the school nurse Wh3
works under the direction Of the
city health department and who has
the assistance Of student nurses
from the local hospitals. During tile
last summer a Baby Day Camp was
conducted in Myrick park with to-
tai attendance Of So babies. Miss
Marie Peterson, the public health
nurse was III charge, and the city
has passed an appropriation for con
tinuing the work another summer
The work Of the health department
for 1915 was done at per capl
cost of about II cents, the entire
expenditure for health protector
during the year being $5,75O.61,
which included $1,608.62 paid for the
collection of garbage and $3.50 ap-
nrOnriatiOu toward the nurses salary.