El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-08-23
FL PAS0 HOLDS
HEALTH HEALTH RECORD
City Known Far and Wide
For Its Salubrious
Climate.

] due in part to the natural location OF
! the city, and its peculiarly salubrious
! climate. another thing which con-
/ tributes to the unusually healthy con-
ditions Of the city is the excellent or
ganization Of the city health depart
ment under the direction of DR.. Hugh
S. White. city health officer, and the
careful surveillance Of sanitary con-
ditions. The few contagious diseases
I here generally run a much shorter
Z course and are Of a milder form than
! in most cities of the country. 50 lar
this year such cases as We have mad
nave been even extraordinarily light
with the exception OF whooping coush
The mortality rate. with the eXcep-
ton Of tuberculosis, which is shipped
in here, and the Mexican babies, VINO
die in the hot months Of the sumner,
mas been very low Practically no
typhoid epidemic has occurred here IN
Z years, save for little sporadic out
break some six years ago
Smallpox cases numbered only 81
with one death, last year. Though
formerly more or less common among
the foreign element of the city. We
have had less smallpox in the last
TWO years than we have eyer had be-
fore This decrease Is attributed py
the health officers 10 the Work done
in vaccination Vaccinations made BY
the city health department during the
year ending July 81 numbered 6lO4.
This has reduced our smallpox cases
from a number varying between euU
and 500 a year, to 81 Dr.. White re-
ports that no case Of smallpox with
a successful vaccination scar has
proven fatal in the pest house and that
very few with a good scar have ever
contracted the disease at all. Those
no do have It, have light. mild cases
The majority OF the cases treated
here last year were among people who
came in here with It
Mexieans Lead in Births.
Vital statistics taken from the
records Of the city registrar show that
the Mexican births for the year to-
tailed 113S and American births totaled
619, showing that SIG more citizens Of
Mexican than OF American extraction
were born in e. Paso during the year.
Male births predominated among the
American. Mexican and negro popu-
lation. Thirteen more male than fe
Amer-c cans; one more negro male than
fema'e, and among the Mexicans two
mo- males than females
The number OF deaths exceeded
births by 756 last year, due principally
TO the Influenza and tuhercular pa
tents from elsewhere One hundred
and four more Mexican males than {
females died American female deaths !
exceeded male by As. Ten more male I
NEGROES died than female.
Thirteen suicides occurred during 1
the year. Practically all these were I
among strangers who had not stopped /
here long enough to get acquainted ]
with FL Paso.
The social disease clinic established /
here by the government during the 4
war was taken over when hostilities
ceased by the county and city acting
together It is under the charge OF
the county health officer. DR.. T. J.
NcCamant and James Dougherty. in
spect0r. The city pays its prorata OF
he expense. The laboratory work o.
making tests and microscopic exami-
nations Is done by Dr. F. c. Lamb,
,ity chemist and bacteriologist, who
here TO take charge OF this
work when peace was declared. after
having served in the government
laboratories at Washington during the
period OF the war.
The Importance OF the work being
lone by this clinic may be estimated
rom a tabulated statement prepared
y the government showing the per
,entsge OF drafted men from the prin-
,ipal cities OF the state found to be
affected with social disease among
he second million called into the
army These figures are here given:
Dallas, 1870 percent; Houston, 17-16,
Fort Worth. 1857: FL Paso. 3-39.
Efficient Health Department
The city health department Is at the
PRESENT time composed as follows; Dr.
Hugh s White, city health officer; Dr.
frank Lynch. assistant city health Of
icer; Dr. John Hardy. police surgeon
)r- G. H Higgins. inspector Of
chools: Dr.. A. B. Warrener, chief
God and sanitary inspector; sam
Hilton, L T. Jones. Oscar CroWson.
frank Escajada, food and sanitary in
pectors; Steven Dawson. abbatofr in
pector: Dr.. F. c Lamb. city chem st:
ames d. Elliott, city registrar: Tom
,onnor, superintendent pest house.
lrs- Tom ConnOr, assistant superin-
endent, pest house.
The strictness with which health
rdinances are enforced is evidenced
y the fact that there were Is prose-
utions for violations Of the dairy or
nance, for adulteration and watering
{ milk Convictions were obtained in
III cases and fines assessed ranging
rom SO TO SIS. For the violations
I the food ordinances, we had seven
onvictions, with fines Of from IS TO
City Divided Into Sections.
For inspection work. the city Is
ivided into two sections, and two
Inspectors take the south side OF the
ity while two others take the north /
ide- These men are required to in
pect premises. such as back yards
nd grounds, grocery stores. roomins
ouses, meat markets, tenement
ouses, Ice cream stands. drug stores
nd all places where food products are {
Did Another inspector has charge
Z the restaurants and soda fountains {
] the center OF the city. One inspec- s
u works on emergency cases and {
0llects the vegetable licenses from
he market houses and the like in
be city. Z
Dr. A. 3. Warrener looks after the {
Aries and milk pants and has su- g
2 HcH H.H al -Hr-
DR.. W. J. Jones is the official vac 7
.natOr for the city. He does nothing )
ut vaccinate and goes from one end I
the city to the other.
The city registrar. Mr.. Elliott. takes K
are Of the registration Of deaths and
i-ar