434 



POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



more fatal, especially in the months of July and August, than during 

 any other period of the year. These are the " zymotic diseases," or 

 those depending upon some form of germ life. The following table 

 illustrates the course of mortality from those diseases in one year: 



Month. Deaths. 



January 641 



February 475 



March 476 



April 554 



May 584 



June 798 



Month. Deaths. 



July 1,433 



August 1,126 



September 791 



October 522 



November 460 



December 504 



It appears that during eight months of the year, excluding June, 

 July, August, and September, the average monthly mortality from 

 " zymotic diseases " was 452. Had the same average continued 

 during the remaining four months the total mortality from those dis- 

 eases for that year would have been 4,424; but the actual mortality 

 was 7,764, which proves that 3,340 persons were sacrificed during 

 those four fatal months to conditions which exist in the city only at 

 that period of the year. Still more startling is the estimate of the 

 sickness rate caused by the unheal thful conditions created in the 

 summer months in New York city. If we estimate that there are 

 twenty cases of sickness for every death by a zymotic disease there 

 were 66,800 more cases of sickness in the year above referred to 

 than there would have been had the sickness rate been the same in 

 the summer as in the other months of that year. 



One of the saddest features of this high sickness and death rate 

 appears when we notice the ages of those who are especially the 

 victims of these fatal diseases. During the week ending July 9 th 

 last there were 399 deaths from diarrhceal diseases, of which num- 

 ber 382 were children under five years of age. The following table 

 taken from the records of the Health Department show in a very 

 striking manner how fatal to child life are the conditions peculiar 

 to our summer season: 



Month. 



January . . 

 February . 

 March 

 April 



May 



June 



July 



August . . . 

 September 

 October . . 

 November 

 December . 



DEATHS FROM DIARRHCEAL DISEASES. 



Under one 

 year. 



50 



47 



75 



82 



101 



387 



809 



464 



267 



114 



59 



57 



Under two 

 years. 



55 



51 



80 



91 



117 



430 



990 



565 



394 



148 



70 



62 



Under five 

 years. 



58 



58 



83 



97 



121 



436 



,020 



697 



409 



154 



72 



64 



All ages. 



82 



75 



96 



108 



104 



467 



1,100 



762 



462 



190 



89 



82 



