Henderson daily dispatch., 1940-01-31

,crnal death rate in North Carolina
was 20. So, there was Il drop at -
points in four years. The United
States rate in 1897 was 40. inns
means we are making progress
Stated in simple terms. North Car
ulina last year saved G7 mothers AZ"
had SIS more live births than our
ing the preceding yeur.
These figures are encouraging 10
public health workers because lhey
show that beneficial results nave &C
rrued from the work that IS Deing
done in infant and maternal clinics
and from the other efforts that are
being eNerted TO save the State $
mothers and babies.
Last year saw the saving OF SOL
lives of children under years oil age
in North Carolina from death from
diarrhea and enteritiS. the rate fall
ing from 29.2 to 1879 between 1913"
and 1889.
PrevCntable Diseases.
Now. let's take Il look at another
aspect of the vital statistics picture
in North Carolina as painted by fig
urcS for 1889. We will consider few
of the preventable diseases and see
what we have done in this lleld.
Typhoid deaths in 1888 numbered ~.
or rae Of 20. as compared with 40
and rate OF l.3 in 1889. This le-
Elected an actual saving, not cons'd-
ering the increased population, OF 26
lives. Typhoid is 4 preventable dis
ease and we have gone long way
toward It's elimination, but the means
Of combating it have only TO be abat-
ed, even temporarily, for it to flare
up and become the menace 1t former
~ was.
want to call particular attention
to deaths from unduiant fever. There
were last year, with rate OF C.2,
as compared with in 1888, with
rate Of COG. Only recently, | read
with interest newspaper article that
had its origin with our State Depart
ment of Agriculture calling attention
TO the problem presented by Bangs
diSease--or infectious abortion in cat
tie, which is source Of undulant
fever, and discussing ways and
lIlCSllIS III 10 llOlls 1ISIS wv
have both an agricultural and a
health problem, and l am glad to
note that there is 4 serious effort
being made to eradicate Bangs dis
ease and, thereby, lessen the trend
! toward a greater incidence Of I'M
! dulant fever. In this connection I
wish to call the particular attention
Of hog and goat breeders to the i'm
! portance of inoculating these animals
against infectious abortion as fur
/ Their aid in the prevention of the
/ spread of the undulant fever
Scourge.
, There is at least one State in the
/ Union where undulant fever is as
/ great a hazard as typhoid.
The Diphtheria Disgrace.
Diphtheria, in spite Of the fact that
it is preVentable, continues TO take
! its toll among our young. There were
| l73 deaths from this disease in 1859,
with rate of 49,, as compared with
! l76 deaths and a rate Of so in 1888,
the decrease in both the number of
cases and the rate having been neg
| iigible. 1t is nothing short of a dis
grace that we should have so many
! deaths from this disease Urgent APP
/ pealS have gone forward for the en-
frocement of the law which provides
, that all babies shall be immunized
against this disease between the ages
OF 6 months and II months and which
provides that no child shall be adj
mitted to any public, private or
parochial school who has not been
! immuniZed
The results of this law should have
been apparent before now, as it was
ratified last March. While there may
be no evidence Of enforcement up TO
the present time, this law must be
complied with.
! We are proud of the continuous
| progress we have made in our war
on tuberculosis in all forms. Last year.
there were in North Carolina 1867
deaths from pulmonary tuberculosis.
with rate Of 46,5, as compared with
1868 deaths and d rate Of 48.l in
1884 decrease Of fl deaths and 1.6
in the rate. Other forms of tuber-
culosis claimed 149 victims, as COM
pared with 1855 the previous year, a
drop Of 6, while the rate fell from
"A to 40.
When | sum up the gains that
have been made in our fight against
typhoid fever, infant and maternal
mortality, pneumonia, tuberculosis
and other diseases which we can
either prevent or successfully treat
and note the comparatively slow pro-
gress that has been made against
diphtheria, preventable disease be-
yond question, | feel like crying out:
Mother, beware!" or, perhaps, For
give them, for they know not what
they do in practicing such neglect"
A Challenge.
The number Of people who die
"lolent deaths in North Carolina carh |
year presents d distinct challenge. |
While many of these do not fall into |
the category of public health pro-
olemS, strictly speaking, they do have
/ very decided bearing on public
atety. We hear lot about safety"
but, alas, like the weather, there
ometlmeS seems 10 bc little we can
ia about it. In many cases, these
violent deaths are preventable Think |
it over.
Last year there were in North Car
Dina l,494 deaths from what are
lyled "preventable accidents as
compared with l,444 The preceding
Jear, gain of 40 Thece included.