The New York herald., 1922-02-26

Isolated campaigns here and there have
shown that the deaths of women can
be reduced by one-half with good medi-
cal and nursing supervision during
pregnancy, at delivery and during the
immediate postpartum period.
A few tendencies which are not so
favorable are in evidence. The most
conspicuous bad spot in the record Of
the year just closed is the increased
death rate for diphtheria. The mortal
ity from this disease was higher than
for any year since 1917. This is all
the more deplorable because the means
for the suppression of case incidence and
case fatality should be known to every
health officer and every physician in the
United States and Canada. Schick test
ing TO detect those susceptible to the
disease and the administration of toxin.
antitoxin to those found to be suscepti-
BILE constitute the means of diphtheria
control.
1t has been demonstrated in New
York city and elsewhere that IT, the
public health movement of the United
States and Canada were to receive suffi-
cient support it would be possible to
offer protection to every child who is
susceptible to this disease. The in
creased diphthcria death rate during 1871
is a challenge to the intelligence Of the
people of the United States and Canada.
and steps should be taken immediately
10 secure sufficient support for health
officers who know what should be done
but who are at present without funds
| Csah ta1S nj in nt fnY n
work. A way must be found to make
the public realize the extent Of the raw
ages Of this disease, not only In its
actual death toll but in the number OF
children it leaves with impaired hearts
or other chronic organic conditions
traceable to d!phtheria.
Tho scarlet fever rate for 1921 was
higher than for any year since 1914.
The persistently high mortality ratio of
scarlet fever should stimulate more ef-
fective research work into the causes of
and the means of prevention OF this
disease.
Incident to the widespread economic
depression in the United States and
Canada there was an increase of 20
per cent. in the suicide death rate over
the figure for 1920. Tho mortality was
also higher than for 1919. and practi-
cally identical with that for 1913. 1t
was much lower, however, than for 1917
or for any of the prewar years 1911
to 1916. There was an increase of IA
per cent. in the homicide rate over the
figure for 1920.
The death rate for automobile acci-
n
ten successive years now the death rate
for this cause has registered an in
crease. The 1921 rate is more than five
times that recorded for 1911 it is four
times as high as the 1919 figure; II is
more than twice as high as the death
rate recorded for 1915, and 61 per cent.
higher than the figure for the year 1916.
The control of the rising death rate from
this cause is one of the unsolved prob
lens of police and accident prevention
work In American cities.
There is small consolation in the fact
that the number of automobiles has also
increased and that in consequence there
are fewer deaths in automobile acci-
dents in proportion to the number OF
automobiles in operation than there
were five or ten years ago. The out
standing fact Is that whether people
are being killed by the first or the fifth
or the tenth automobile the number Of
deaths caused by motor vehicles and
the automobile accident death rate con-
tinue to grow year after year.
| The death rate from alcoholism
showed an increase of over so per cent.
among Metropolitan industrial policy
holders in 1921 as compared with 1920.
There were 122 deaths in 1921 and n
in the preceding year. The death rate
for cirrhosis OF the liver. the chief cause
of which is alcohol. remained stationary.
These figures show that, while the sit
uation with reference to these diseases
was not quite so favorable in 1921 as
in 1920. the rates recorded are still very
much lower than those in evidence ten
years ago.
The outstanding fact in the health
situation for 1921 is that health con-
servation work results in greatly re-
duced sickness and In lower mortalit.
rates.