The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-01-07
Health Department Received
5000 Reports in 1921.
The Total for 1920 Was $685.
Due to Two Epidemics.
OCTOBER THE HIGHEST MONTH
Diphtheria Ran Total Up Then
July Was Healthiest.
Sanitation Reduced Typhoid by
Two-Thirds During Year.

During the year 1921 there were re-
ported to the city health department
a. total of 32O6 cases of disease, as
compared with a total of 5,052 cases
during 1920.
The difference is caused by the cpl
denies of influenza and measles dur
ing 1920. Cases of twenty-four DIFFER
ent diseases were reported to the de-
partment during the year
The highest number of cases re-
ported during any one month was 5l2
in october, 291 of these cases being OF
diphtheria. The highest number OF
cases reported of any one disease IN
any one month was S17 cases OF
measles during January. The next
highest was the POI cases of diph-
liberia in October
The second highest month of the
year in point of cases reported was
January, with 46S cases. July was
cording to the health departments
report. There were but 80 cases of
disease reported in Topeka during
that month.
OF every 1000 Topekans. during
1921, 63.O4 contracted diseases which
were reported to the city health de-
partment. This figure was based on
the new population" of the city
5O,855. Taking the 1920 census re-
port as basis, there is added a NUM-
Der which is arrived at thru compare
son of vital statistics for many years,
to arrive at the new population" fig
ure.
Number of Cases by Months.
The number of cases reported by
months in 1920 and 1921 was: jan
uary 1921, ass, in 1920, sos; Feb
ruary 1921, 279, in 1920. 1850; March
267, in 1920. $50; May 1921. sol, in
1920, 5S6; June 1921, 100, in 1920
439; July 1921, 80, in 1920, 1913; Au-
gust 1921, IA, in 1920, 1872; Septem-
Der 1921, 25S, in 1920, 90; October
1921, 512, in 1920, $50; November
1921, 203, in 1920, 596.
Comparative figures on various dis
eases show that there were 7S6 cases
of diphtheria in 1921 and So in 1920;
545 cases of chicken pox in 1921 and
426 in 1920; $50 cases of measles in
1921 and 1,462 in 1920; 800 cases of
social disease during 1921 and 342
cases in 1920; 253 cases of scarlet
fever during 1921 and 157 in 1920;
lao cases of smallpox in 1921 and 81
in 1920; IS cases of all forms of pneu-
Tnonia in 1921 and 141 in 1920; "a
cases of whooping cough in 1921 and
542 cases in 1920; 43 cases of mumps
in 1921 and IS in 1920; eight cases
of influenza in 1921 and 1902 cases
in 1920; nine cases of infanti1e paraly-
Typhoid Shows Decrease.
There were % cases of typhoid
fever in 1921, as against 81 in 1920.
This reduction is due entirely to sani-
tary improvements. Typhoid does not
run as an epidemic in cycles, a small
pox, measles, influenza and the like.
The figures show that Topeka was
cleaner during 1921 than it was in
1920" DR.. Earle G. Brown, city health
n in
Incidentally our sanitary inspectors
have had the busiest year in the his
tory of this department"
The tuberculosis figures show that
there were reported 1872 cases during
1921, and but 141 in 1920. This isn't
as bad as it looks" Doctor Brown said
TT means that we have been discov-
ering more cases in the incipient stage.
OF these cases reported this year,
some thirty-five were found in the in
cipient stage. A special report on
tuberculosis will be issued later
Most Cases Among Women.
Women of the white race led in the
number of cases of sickness reported
to the department There were 1,215
cases of sickness among them report
ed, as against 1,116 cases among the
men. Their; were 254 cases of sick
ness reported among colored persons
and forty-nine among Mexicans.
In the classification of the reports
by wards, the Second ward leads with
7SS cases reported during the year;
the Fifth ward is next with asa; the
First ward with 440; the Third ward
next with 33S; the Sixth ward with
S14, and the Fourth ward last with
275.
The figures on races and wards are
based on the total of reports elimf-
mating those on social disease and
tuberculosis.
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