1 62 Eugene Roll hi Corson 



*Yellow fever 1854 — Deaths, whites 625, blacks 10. *i858 — Deaths, 

 whites 112, blacks 2. *i86i — Deaths, whites 4. *i864 — Deaths, whites 

 14. *i865 — Deaths, whites I. *i868 — Deaths, whites i. *i869— Deaths, 

 whites r. *iS76— Deaths, whites 771, blacks 125. *i877 — Deaths — 

 whites 4. fSuiall pox introduced by United States troops 1865, 1866, 

 1867. tiS75, 1876, 1877, ti882 — One case. ti884 — Two cases. 11885 — 

 One case. No accurate account can be given as to deaths ; it was very 

 heavy in 1865 and 1866. JCholera brought from New York by United 

 States troops. 1866 — Deaths, whites 85, blacks 211. J1867 — Deaths, 

 whites 12, blacks 17. J1868 — Deaths, whites 13, blacks 18. 



I am indebted to compilation of our honored townsman. Dr. W. Dun- 

 can, for tabular statement of deaths from 1855 to 1869 inclusive. 



J. T. McFarland, M. D., Health Officer. 



In this table we find that from 1854 to 1863 more whites 

 died proportionately than colored. Then from 1864 to 1876 

 the white mortality was still in excess of the colored. The 

 year 1866, however, was the turning point, for with the excep- 

 tion of 1876, the year of the yellow fever, the colored have 

 greatl}' exceeded the whites in mortality. 



From 1880 the returns show that twice as many colored as 

 whites die in proportion to the population. Some years show 

 an even greater mortality. In 1880, in the ratio per 1000 of 

 population, the figures stand 25.3 for the whites and 58.8 for 

 the colored ; in 1882, 18.2 for the whites, and 43.9 for the col- 

 ored ; in 1884, 17.9 for the whites, and 36.7 for the colored ; 

 in 1885, 13.7 for the whites, and 35.4 for the colored ; in 1886, 

 17. 1 for the whites and 49.8 for the colored. This table shows 

 conclusively, for Savannah at least, that prior to emancipa- 

 tion the death rate of the colored was less than that of the 

 whites, but that since their freedom their mortality has greatly 

 exceeded that of the whites. It would be indeed valuable 

 for our subject could we get similarly prepared tables from 

 other parts of the country. 



To this I now add a table which continues the figures up to 

 1892 inclusive, which shows the same high rate of mortality 

 among the colored, a mortality, which, making all due allow- 

 ance for error, about doubles that of the whites. I omit, how- 

 ever, the estimated population and the ratio per 1,000 deduced 

 from it as the figures are largely guess-work. It is sufficient 

 to remember that the population is now about 45,000, and that 

 the whites exceed the colored by about 5,000. 



