The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-05-28
Community Health
By IN. ADDrN0ToN BRUCE

A report from the Illinois state depart
ment Of health provides striking refutation
Of the common belief that rural life IL nee
essarily more healthful than life in great
city. Also, and more significant, 1t gives
fresh emphasis to the truth that health in
any community depends largely on the extent
and efficiency of the local public health
service.
The report in reference il one giving the
mortality statistics of Illinois for 1928. The
state death rate, it appears, was IL per
l,OOO population, as compared with rate
Of lib for 1922. Thus there was a slight
increase, the greater part of which, the fig
ures indicate was due to the down-state
mortality rather than the mortality of ILL
nois' chief city, Chicago.
In Chicago the 1923 death rate was only
III, while for the rest of the state the rate
was 1913. Moreover, when the mortality for
different diseases is examined the contract
in favor of Chicago is brought ont in still
more impressive relief.
Thus, for the state as a whole, influenza
mortality showed an increase of S5l deaths
in 1928 over the deaths of 1922. OF this
increase only III occurred in Chicago as
against 740 down+state. Diphtheria mortal
ity had a gratifying decrease Of 1862 deaths
during 1928, with 100 of this decrease in
Chicago and only 1853 in the rest of the
state.
There were increases in the mortality from
both measles and whooping cough, and for
both these diseases Chicago showed a small
er increase than did down-state Illinois, So
with regard to scarlet fever and malaria.
In fact, there was only one disease. pneu-
monia, in which Chicago appeared to distinct
disadvantage. In 1928 pneumonia caused
1925 more daths than in 1922, and no fewer
than 966 of these occurred in Chicago. On
the other hand, in regard to another grave
disease of the respiratory tract, tuberculosis,
the advantage was all with Chicago. ,.
Like pneumonia, tuberculosis caused many
more deaths in Illinois in 1923 than in 1922
The down-state increase was from a rate of
S01 to o4.S to 500. 1t is not surprising
that, commenting on this in his report,
Sheldon L. Howard, registrar of the division
Of vital statistics, says:
Perhaps no better example Of the value
of adequate public health service can be
found anywhere Certainly the natural fac
tors conducive to good health are more album
dant in tn state at large than they are in
Chicago.
And yet that city was able to keep the
increase in mortality from tuberculosis down
to an average of two per week during a
year when 1t increased at rate of two per
day in the remainder of the state"
1t is a familiar saying among medical
men that community health is to a large ex-
tent purchasable commodity. The Illinois
statistics decidedly go to bear this out, and
may well be used wherever necessary in sup
port Of pleas for generous civic approphia
tons for public health work.
Not only in down-state Illinois but IN all
sections of the United States and Canada
are still to be found communities unwisely
niggardly in the matter of spendings for
disease prevention. Always the penalty for
such penuriousness is a heavy one, PEN
atty involving both individual suffering and
economic loss.