Douglas daily dispatch., 1926-01-17

1
reported plague including the United
States. The ever present menace OF
/ plague has been frequently emphas-
lied in previous annual reports of the
surgeon general. Rodent plague re-
appeared for a short time in New
! orleans, Louisiana, and in Oakland,
California. In both instances, the
public health service was asked to
! assume direction of measures for it's
suppression and did SO at once. No
human cases occurred either in New
! Orleans or in Oakland
There was an outbreak of plague in
Los Angeles, California, in which
there occurred 33 cases of pneumonia
plague with 81 deaths and eight cases
of the bubonic type with htere edaths
during the fiscal year. Both rat and
squirrel plague were also found to
exist. The public health service as
sumed charge of plague suppressive
measures in Los Angeles just before
/ the close of the fiscal year.
| The occurrence of rodent plague in
New Orleans, La and Oakland, Calf,
and of human rodent plague in Los
Angeles, Calif, made it necessary
for time to put into effect outgo-
ing quarantine measures in these cities
to prevent the infection from being
carried to other states and to foreign
countries
Thanks chiefly to our state and
local health officers, general health
conditions in the United States con-
tinued good. Preliminary figures in
dictate a total death rate for the
United States for the calendar year
1924 of about 11.9 per 1000 as COM
pared with 12.4 in 1923, with lie. in
! the registration area in 1900 and with
1913 in 1880.
Birth Rate increases
Birth rates in 25 states show an
increase from 22.S per thousand popu-
lation in 1923 to 22.5 in 1924. The
rates varied from 31.6 in North Caro-
lima to 1871 in Montana
While infant mortality has shown
an appreciable decrease, the number
Of deaths }of mothers incident to
child birth has shown but little
change in the last nine years for
which data are available. During the
period from 1915 to 1922 inclusive
it is estimated that for every 100000
babies that were born, the lives OF
from 500 to 900 mothers were sacri-
ficed. About one-third of these deaths
were caused by Infection of the
mother at childbirth often the result
i of carelessness on the part Of the
| attendant.
Attention is called to the increas-
ing number of deaths and injuries
from the operation of automobiles.
The death rate from this cause has
risen from less than one per 100000
lin 1906 to nearly Is per 100000 in
/ 1928, or more than 10000 deaths per
year.
/ Reports from SO states show that
III persons were killed and 1880 in
jured as the result of celebrating with
fireworks the Fourth of July, 1928.
Of the injured, 148 will probably lose
the sight of one or both eyes. In
many cases, injury or death was due
to fireworks considered harmless,
such as sparklers, blank cartridges,
cap pistols, sky rockets, small fire.
cracker and Roman candles. The pub
licity campaign carried on by the
physicians and the press of the United
States against the use of fireworks on
the Fourth of July had been almost
discontinued, as it was thought that
warnings were no longer required
The gcampaign should be renewed.
/ Heart disease ranks first in the
United States as cause of death
and it's incideffce is steadily increa-
ling. Influenza and pneumonia com
bined occupy the second place.
The diptheria death rate has shown
la striking fall from 43.S per 100000
lin 1900 to 12.1 in 1928. 'If parents
could be induced to protect theil
children by the use of the toxin an
ltitoxin' process of immunization,
lsays Surgeon General Cumming, there
lis no reason why diptheria might MOI
be still further greatly reduced OF
even exterminated.'
Lethargic encephalitis (sleepine
sickness) is apparently increasing IL
the United States at the present time
In 1928, nearly 1000 deaths were re
ported Data are unsatisfactory, due
to imperfect or incomplete reports.
l. Malaria is stated to be inadequate
1y reported There are many sec
tions that are relatively free from
this disease while in many others il
is still a serious health problem. The
rates are higher among the colore4
than among the white population
Active work in cooperation with
state and local health authorities in
the effort to combat this disease con-
tinues to be carried out.
i Measles Dangerous
The death rate from measles has
shown but slight change during the
last quarter Of a century. The in
ability to control measles, Surgeon
General Cummings attributes, in great
measure, to the fact that there usu-
ally elapses a period of about four
days from the time of the appearance
of the initial symptoms to the time
of the appearance of the eruption
Measles is communicable during this
stage. The child is not infrequently
at school during a part of this time
Many mild cases are never seen by q
physician and are never reported.
Failure to enforce quarantine meas
ures during the pre-eruptive stage
and failure to isolate unrecognlzeo
or unreported cases greatly increase
the opportunity for it's spread. More
rigid school inspection, with the eX-
Iclusion from school of children who
WI