The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1920-01-01
UN{QuALlED .H[AlTH
RECORD FOR RICHMOND

Richmond begins the New Year to-
day with n health record for the past
twelve months that is uneQualied in
all the history OF the city.
During the unprecedented era of
prosperity that came with the end of
war, sickness has had little place in
the scheme of things. The threatened
temperance of influenza which took
in the latter part of 1915 a terri BILE
death toll. failed to materialize Other
epidemics kept their distance. The
bureau of health, under the general SUI
pervision of DIR. e. C. Levy director
of public welfare. kept steadily on
with Its campaign of education and it's
attack upon preventable diseases. with
the result that Richmond is today one
Of the most healthful cities of the
United States.
Deaths during the year amounted TO
2.e60. q death rate OF 1856 pc 1000
population. the lowest on record In
i3I7, the best year the city had seen
tip to that time, from the point OF
view of health, the death toll was
1896 which gave the rate per l 1000
inhabitants of 1850 death rate this
year.
Comparison with the death rate Of
1915 would hardly give a Just estimate
of the healthful condition of the city
during 1919. since the influenza cpl
demfc last year was principally re-
sponsible for the high rate of NOR
tst.ity. In 1918 there were 1888
deaths, or 1853 more than during the
year just closed
The death rate from typhoid fever.
which in years past was the scourge-
OF the city, was rema rkably low in
1918. There were only six deaths, a
rate of ST per 100000 OF population.
n hot ntn u rx,xr
Ing n rate of SO, considered then to
be a phenomenal showing. Scarlet
fever claimed threa victims There
vera none in 1918. From measles
there were four deaths In 1918
Their, were eight deaths from this dis
ease. Whoopingcough in 1912 killed
nineteen people. as against twenty
two in 1913
Tho decline in the infantile diar-
rhoea death rate is pecuiiarly oroti-
tying to DR.. Levy and health officers
OF the city. In 1919 fifty nine chill
dren died OF this disease, giving a rate
OF 3S,a per 100000 of population. The.
old rate, before regulations as to milk
water, etc. went into effect, ranged
around 1876.
tuberculosis claimed considerably
fewer victims in 1919 than II did the
year before. In 1919 there were 247
deaths. as against 2S5 In 1915. From
diphtheria there were fifteen deaths
as compared with thirteen last year.
During the year there were 204
deaths from. 49, Influenza. OF which
ninetv-eieht occurred in January
twenty-nine in February and thirty
eieh, in March. o. 1876 during the
first three months of the year. the
ragged edge OF the epidemic in 1918.
during which year there were SIS
deaths, not. counting Influenza cases
that,.went into pneumonia. In la.E
there were only twenty-eieht. In the
last three months OF 1919 there have
been two only. Y, Y. ss
AS against the 2.eso deaths record
cd for tho year, there were in Rich
ssa,and.- during. la1a, a.aas, .hirths. q
rate of 24.l7 per 1000 of poppla ton.
Not quite all of these are In yet pr.
Levy believes tha figures finally will
reach 1000. There were eighty-fiye
more births than in 1918
------------.---
John III. Farrell. secretary or the-S
association for eany " ,rs. IL
now being mentioned as the naYt
chairman OF the national commission.
Farrell would be an ideal man. ae he
M bern Hettlin9 baseball problems for
1nAny ysars alad knows the details Of