IV. EXTRACTS FROM THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE BOARD OF HEALTH OF THE CITY OF ALTOONA FOR THE YEAR 1886.

"A system of registration of marriages, births, and deaths and interments, as is required by the ordinance above referred to, was started on April 1, 1886, the following is a statement by months, according to the records of marriages, births and deaths and interments, occurring within the city up to December 31, 1886:

"The records of vital statistics not having been in operation the full year, it is difficult to draw any positive conclusions from them. The indications, however, seem to be, that the annual death rate will not be over sixteen or seventeen per thousand, which is very able.

favor

"During the year there were two hundred and twenty-three nuisances abated on verbal orders of the sanitary policemen, and there were sixty-three which required action of the board; forty-four of which were abated; of the nineteen remaining, part of them were laid over for subsequent action to await the completion of sewers and for various reasons satisfactory to the board; a part of them were also cancelled upon subsequent information.

"An examination of the sources of the water supply was made, and, although they were not found to be entirely satisfactory an improvement was noticeable over last year, and a recent analysis of the water shows it to be in fair condition.

"The city has been rather unfortunate in the appearance of typhoid fever in our midst to some serious extent. Up to December 31, we have had reports from the physicians of the city of eighty-two cases, most of them occurring during the months of October, November and

December, and the largest percentage of these cases was in the Fifth and Sixth wards contiguous to the open sewers in that region. We are not prepared to say exactly what was the cause of so much of this sickness, but the very low condition, and perhaps the contamination, of the water supply, and the very filthy condition of some of the localities in which the disease occurred, undoubtedly contributed something to it.

"It is believed that the amount of money annually spent now in cleaning the sewer inlets and the amount spent in repairing sewers due to the washings from the gutters being carried into them would in a few years completely pave the gutters in the city. It is obvious that if the gutters were paved the cleaning of the sewer inlets and the filling of sewers with earth washed from the gutters would be entirely obviated.

"The open sewers within the limits of the city demand your immediate attention. To say the least, they are injurious and offensive in the extreme, and the health of the citizens living along these sewers is certainly endangered, especially in the hot dry season; and your board would recommend that covered sewers be put down as rapidly as possible in all parts of the city where there are open sewers. We would also again call your attention to the defective trapping at many of the sewer inlets of the city, which should have immediate correction.

"The supply of water is still insufficient to meet the demands of the city, and we hope your honorable bodies will take early and decided action in this matter with a view to providing a more plentiful supply.

"The matter of disposing of the city's sewage, we are aware, you now have under consideration. It is desirable to state, however, that a method of properly disposing of this sewage should, in the opinion of your board, be adopted at an early date, and we are inclined to urge action in this direction, to the end that conclusions may soon be reached of a satisfactory system."

Rule eight of the board of health was revised at the last meeting held and now reads as follows:

Rule VIII. Every undertaker or other person who may have charge of the funeral of any dead person, shall procure a properly filled out certificate from the attending physician of the death and its probable cause, in accordance with the form prescribed by the State Board of Health, and shall present the same to the president of the board of health, and obtain a burial or transit permit thereupon at least twenty-four hours before the time appointed for such funeral, and he shall not remove any dead body until such burial or transit permit shall have been procured.

V. EXTRACTS FROM THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH FOR THE YEAR 1886.

To the Board of Health:

GENTLEMEN. The total number of deaths was 4,225, equal to an annual death-rate of 206 per 1,000 inhabitants. (Population, estimated, 205,000).

There were 1,176 deaths of infants, under one year, and 915 of chil dren between the ages of one and five years, making 49.5 per cent. of the total mortality.

Of the decedents 1,094 were of foreign, and 3,131 of native birth. Of the latter number, 187 were colored.

Infectious diseases caused 837 deaths, equal to 19.8 per cent. of the total mortality, and 4 per 1,000 inhabitants.

Of those required by law to be reported, the statement is as follows:

Measles prevailed most extensively during the autumn quarter of the year, causing a total mortality of 117, as against 46 for the previous

year.

Thirteen of these deaths occurred in the old city, six in the east end and ninety-eight upon the south side. All of the decedents were under ten years of age.

Whooping Cough prevailed most extensively during the summer quarter. The mortality from this cause aggregated 109, as against 65 for the previous year, and was distributed as follows: old city, 42; east end, 30; south side, 36; in hospital, 1. The decedents were all under ten years of age.

Diphtheria. There were reported during the year 675 cases of this disease, of which number 249 died, a mortality percentage of 36.9. The previous year the cases numbered 798, and the deaths 243; percentage, 30.4. It prevailed more extensively in the east end than during former years, the record being as follows: Old city, 59; east end, 116; south side, 72; in hospital, 1.

Of the deaths from this cause 60 occurred during the first or winter quarter, 33 during the second or spring quarter, 48 during the third or summer quarter, and 107 during the fourth or autumnal quarter.

Of the decedents from this cause, 10 were under one year of age, 163 between the ages of one and five, 57 from five to ten, and 19 were over ten years of age.

Variola.-During the latter half of the year, three cases of variola

were reported from the old city, and one from the east end, none of which terminated fatally.

Scarlet Fever.-There were 1,083 cases of this disease reported, of which number 182 died; the mortality percentage being 16.8. The death rate being about the same as for the previous year.

It prevailed most extensively in the east end, 596 cases and 93 deaths were reported from this district; 292 cases and 60 deaths were reported from the old city, and 194 cases and 30 deaths were reported from the south side.

Of the decedents, 9 were under one year of age, 113 from one to five, 51 from five to ten, and 9 were over ten years of age.

Typhoid Fever-There were 1,045 cases of this disease reported, of which number 140 died, a mortality percentage of 13.4.

The death rate of this disease for the previous year was 15.5; 992 cases having been reported, with 154 deaths.

It prevailed most extensively upon the south side, 521 cases, with 68 deaths having been reported from this district; 241 cases, with 30 deaths were reported from the east end, and 212 cases, with 16 deaths were reported from the old city. The remaining 71 cases, with 26 deaths were reported from the various hospitals.

It caused 16 deaths during the first quarter, 14 deaths during the second, 65 during the third, and 45 during the fourth quarter.

Of the decedents from this cause, 10 were under ten years of age, 45 from ten to twenty, 55 from twenty to thirty, 18 from thirty to forty, 9 from forty to fifty, and 3 were over fifty years of age. The mortality from the infectious diseases was located as follows:

The remaining 33 deaths occurred in the hospitals. The above figures show that the highest death rate from infectious diseases occurred, as in previous years, upon the south side.

The per cent. of mortality from infectious diseases, of the total mortality of the district, was as follows: