The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1922-05-05
new YORK HEALTH BOARD
DATA PROVE DRY BENEFITS
Tremendous Decrease in ALI
Cause Death Rate; Slight
Bulge in Few Diseases
FEWER INFANT DEATHS
Diseases of Bacterial Origin,
Functional Disturbances
Decreased


cial and impartial sources. of the ben
efits of Prohibition to public health is
contained in provisional annual tables
prepared by DIR. Otto r. Eichel, d.
rector of the division of vital statistics
in the Department. of Health of New
York state, which have just been is
sued under the authority of DIR. Her
mann M. Biggs, health commissioner
These tables furnish evidence that
Prohibition, admittedly violated more
in New York than anywhere else in
the United States. had, in such short
time as little less than two years
(the tables are for 1920 wrought a
tremendous decrease Of mortality from
all causes, especially from such dis
eases as are we'll known to be caused
or aggravated by the use of liquors.
Comparison is made by DIR. Eichel
with the statistics for the quinquen-
MUM 1o13-1917.
In very few cases increase OF NOR
tally is shown. For instance, scarlet
fever, which is communicable dis
ease and epidemic, shows all increase
of 31.3 per cent; cancer, cerebral hem
orrhage, organic heart trouble, appen-
dicitis and homicides show slight in
crcases. All accidental deaths de-
creased 10 per cent, but there was an
increase OF 140 per cent in deaths
caused by automobile accidents, due,
it is explained, to the tremendous in
crease in the number of autos and
trucks used.
The population of the state increased
8 per cent, which, OF course, naturally
would tend to increase mortality from
all causes, all other things being equal
But it was only in the few causes
mentioned above that there was an in
crease. In every other cause there
was decrease, some OF the decreases
being notably heavy, as the statistics
given herein will show.
Babies had much better chance in
dry 1921 than in the wet quinquen-
mum. Deaths at birth decreased rs
per cent; still-births, 1917; deaths Of
children under years, 81; under one
year. 23,5; between and O. years,
IS; typhoid fever deaths decreased
54.4 per cent; measles, $751; whooping
cough - and here the children bene-
fted-12.3; diphtheria, usually chill
dren's disease, lis; cerebrospinal
meningitis, 1914; acute anterior polio
myelitis, CO..; influenza, SAL. There
was vociferous claim by the friends of
liquor that whisky was indispensable
to influenza, but under Prohibition the
decrease was, as has been shown, enor-
nous.
tuberculosis, and other forms OF
pulmonary trouble, it is we'll known,
have a warm friend in intoxicants.
During the dry year Of 1921, as COM
pared with the wet years of 1013-197,
New York state had decrease OF
2o2 per cent OF deaths from tubercu-
losis of all forms; decrease of 402
per cent in pulmonary tuberculosis
deaths; 47.8 in tuberculosis meningitis,
and 8.5 in other forms of tuberculosis.
Diabetes, a disease aided in its raw
ages by alcohol, was less potent as a
mortality agent by Ia per cent; ar
terioselerosis. by % per cent; bron-
chitis, By 1872; pneumonia 424; bron-
chopneurnonia, 36.7; lobar pneumonia
and unqualified, 46.3.
Fewer deaths by 400 per cent came
to infants under 2 years Hernia was
not so fatal by ~ per cent, while
cirrhosis of the liver, common COM
plant among inebriates, caused fewer
deaths by 53.l per cent. Nephritis
and Bright's disease. greatly aggra-
waited by indulgence in liquors, were
cut downin mortality by 27.o per cent
Diseases of the puerporal state caused
Is per cent less fatality. In deaths
from puerperal septicoma, the~per cent
of decrease was 20.8, while in those
due to congenital debility and malfor-
nation, the decrease was even greater
2l.2 per cent
Even old age refused TO work SC
j, persistently ard efficiently. For, in
the dry year Il 1921, as compared with
the previous, wet years, deaths from
age decreased ass per cent
Deaths from drowning decreased
PAS per cent, and those from suicide
decreased 1875 per cent The decrease
in percentage of DEATHS from all other
causes was IA per cent. Deaths from
alcoholism are not detailed in the re-
port, but are included in deaths from
all causes not specifically mentioned.
The tables show greater benefits tc
have come in New York City thar
in the rest of the state, but it should
be noted that very large areas outside
of the metropolis have been dry fol
veare Also the iucrease in DoDt1a