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linger in the minds of those who had personal knowledge of cases of illness supposed to have been contracted there."

The problem proposed was this:

What number of deaths and what amount of sickness might have been naturally looked for among those who visited the International Exhibition from a distance?

The factors of the problem were, first, the whole number of visitors; secondly, the normal death-rate for the United States, averaged for large and small towns and the country; and, thirdly, modifying circumstances.

It was considered that the 8,400,000 paid admissions indicated, making all due allowance for those from this city, a total of visitors from a distance of 2,300,000.

Let us now endeavor to arrive at the nominal death-rate for such a host in a corresponding period of time.

The death-rates of our great cities for the year 1874, which was a favorable one in respect to public health, were as follows per thousand of living population: New York, 27.61; Philadelphia, 19.54; Brooklyn, 24.46; St. Louis, 16.27; Chicago, 20.31; Baltimore, 21.14; Boston, 23.60; Buffalo, 18.46; the highest being those of Charleston, S. C., 38.96, and Savannah, 35.38. Of exceptionally healthy small cities we may cite Syracuse, 15.20; Toledo, 10.90; (?) Hartford, 12.86, and Springfield, Ill., 12.23, the average health of which is probably even better than that of country villages and rural districts. From these data we are justified in assuming for the entire country a death-rate of 18 per 1000, which means that of every thousand persons living during a year, eighteen must inevitably die before the expiration of the year. (In this calculation we have not included the excessive mortality of the Southern cities, presumably the result of epidemic influences of an unusual character.) So much for the second factor.

Third, the "modifying circumstances" to be taken into account are, first, incremental, viz., the season of the year, the unusual character of that season, and the prejudicial modes of life of the great majority of the visitors; secondly, largely subtrahendal, namely, the time of life at which most of them had arrived. First, incremental: It is a well-known fact, that during the summer months the mortality in all of our large cities invariably increases. During the past summer, owing to the exceptionally high temperature which prevailed (the average for July having been more than six degrees higher than that for the same month of last year), the increase was greater than usual. That of New York ran up to the alarming figure of 48.12, and of Brooklyn to 42.10, being 20 above the

annual average of the former, and 17 above for the latter city. In commenting on and accounting for this terrible mortality, that excellent journal, the Sanitarian, published in New York, says: The "heated term" is also found to seriously affect the Croton; it being the same term as the grazing, when the Croton's tributary streams, with unprotected banks, traverse luxuriant meadows; when summer resorts distribute their sewage; when the "cattle upon a thousand hills" gently sloping to streams made picturesque by the revelling of geese and ducks, and swine cooling themselves in the marginsall permitted-make the water smell "loud" and taste" sapid." Farther on, the same article speaks of the necessity for "holding our breaths and biting our tongues lest we smell and taste the decomposing organic matter in the Croton." The impure condition of the drinking water, however, not peculiar to the city just mentioned, is but one of numerous causes which render an American summer dangerous to human health and destructive to human life. We shall be extremely moderate if we allow 3 per 1000 additional on account of the season and as many more on account of the peculiarly fatal character of the season. Add to this the fact that the vast crowds visiting the Centennial arrived in the city worn out with travel and loss of sleep, endured excessive fatigue while here, exposed themselves rashly both to midday sun and evening damps, ate much indigestible and promiscuous food at unaccustomed hours, often going fasting when their systems were in an exhausted condition-and all this under a cerebral pressure of intense excitement— and we have established another factor of increment at least equal in value to either of the other two. Our annual death-rate for this exceptionally trying period would thus advance from 18 to 27 per 1000, a little less than that of New York at all seasons.

This is to be reduced one-half on account of infants and invalids not attending, which gives a death-rate of 13.50 per annum. That this is probably below the mark is indicated by the fact that the annual death-rate of the New York police force, a body of picked men at the age of greatest expectation of life, living under a strict regime and generally favorable hygienic conditions, is 15 per 1000.

It still remains to be determined what length of time we are to cover in our calculation. For, although all the Centennial visitors were living from the commencement of the Exhibition, and although large numbers of them arrived here with the seeds of disease in their systems, still we are not at liberty to bring them into, the question until they passed the gates.

A careful estimate of the admissions at different periods, leads to the conclusion that ten weeks will be an allowance erring upon the safe side. Now the rate which we have adopted for a year gives us

a rate of 2.6 for ten weeks. In other words: It was written in the inevitable decrees of Providence, more inexorable than the "law of the Medes and Persians which altereth not," that of every ten thousand of the eager multitudes who, month after month, were pressing onward with such glad anticipations to this wondrous concourse of earth's peoples and exhibit of their products, at least twenty-six should step quickly down from the thronged and glittering palaces of Art and Industry into the silent chambers of the tomb. The Centennial Commissioners, able, sagacious, far-seeing, and provident as they have proved themselves in many respects, had no power to stay this edict-could confer no brief immunity from nature's laws. Recurring to our totals, we find that it was only natural, therefore, to expect that up to the eleventh day of December, one month. after the close of the Exhibition, six thousand deaths should have taken place among our returning guests, representing probably sixty thousand cases of illness of greater or less severity. It is natural also to expect that a certain proportion of these cases should have been typhoid fever. If we allow only .03 per cent., this will give us about one hundred and eighty deaths from this affection strictly, or in the neighborhood of two thousand cases.

It is not surprising, therefore, that we should hear of a Centennial fever.

Allow us, in conclusion, to present a typical case of this disease which came to the notice of a member of the committee: A family came on from a small town in Connecticut, and took rooms in a new hotel, hastily run up, just outside the Exhibition grounds. They visited the latter faithfully and conscientiously, as New Englanders will, remaining for about a week. The party was a large one, of all ages. Soon after their return home, it was reported that one of the children of the family was very ill with typho-malarial or gastric fever unmistakable evidences of the insanitary conditions prevailing in West Philadelphia-but for an additional fact, which was afterwards learned, namely, that this child was the only member of the family which did not go to Philadelphia at all, but remained at home in the salubrious air of its native town. The others all escaped. Not denying, then, that the sanitary administration of the Exhibition was open to severe criticism, your committee wish to call attention to the fact that it was entirely unjust to expect, as seems to have been expected, that a visit to the Centennial should ensure the visitor a temporary immortality.

BENJAMIN LEE, Chairman,

A. D. HALL,

R. BURNS,

H. Y. EVANS,

H. LEAMAN.

MORTUARY TABLE No. 4.

Deaths from certain of the more important diseases, tabulated

in

reference to Age, Color, and Nativity.

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Cholera morbus

20

6 5

6

1

1

3

6

Cholera infantum

Remittent fever

9

15

634 539 634 539 895 252 1 2

24

Cerebro-spinal meningitis.

32 53 31 37 16

10

Inflammation of stomach and bowels 210 216 144 114 158

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Boys.

Girls.

Under 1 year.

1 to 2 years.

2 to 5 years.

5 to 10 years.

10 to 15 years.

15 to 20 years.

20 to 30 years.

30 to 40 years.

40 to 50 years.

50 to 60 years.

60 to 70 years.

70 to 80 years.

80 to 90 years.

90 to 100 years.

100 to 110 years.

Adults.

Minors.

Total.

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NA People of color.

323

88 19

44

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485 276

761

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545 192

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MORTUARY TABLE No. 5.

Record of Causes of Death in the City of Philadelphia, from January 1, 1876, to

January 1, 1877.

(Abridged from the Tables of Dr. William H. Ford, Secretary of the Board of Health.)

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4,627 2372 2255 1846 1714 1228 612 937 1067 3,560 173 4,123 433 71

31 23 8

85 64

21

18 13 5

500 195 305

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2,952 1641 1311 925 783 970 327 241 1244 1,708 141 2,291 549 112
867 452 415 75 69 33 6 17 723
1,945 1029 916 498 459 478 209 168 988
1,055 535 520 231 176 231 61 47 648
370 223 147 40 25
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4. Diseases of nutrition .... 1,153 600 553, 382 331 647

V.-1. Accident or negligence..

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617 940 1149 3,612 177 4,199 463 99 4,627 2372 2255 1846 1714 1228 612 937 1067 3,560 173 4,123 433 71 409 234 175 143 136 59 35 102 130 279 26 335 48 6 51 52 1 3231 21 323 5

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1 For want of definite information, some causes of death are placed under this order that properly belong under Order No. 4.

2 Order 2 comprises violent deaths in battle, and is therefore omitted.

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3. Homicide.

4. Suicide.

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