PUBLIC HEALTH AND SANITATION 



San Diego has been so long called a healthful city that the sub- 

 ject of public health seems to arouse little interest. However, no 

 city, especially of the size and rapid growth of San Diego, is with- 

 out its serious public health problems today. The intelligent pub- 

 lic should be informed of the factors that modify the health con- 

 ditions of their city. 



Causes of Death 



The death rate for San Diego based upon the total number of 

 deaths recorded in the annual report of the Board of Health for 

 1913, and their estimate of population, 85,000, a higher estimate 

 than was obtained from any other reliable source, was 12.14 per 

 one thousand population. As compared with the average annual 

 death rate, 17 per thousand population, for the period from 1901- 

 1911, inclusive, in the U. S. Census published reports of mortality 

 statistics, this is a striking decrease. San Diego, according to 

 the Census reports for these years, has a comparatively high 

 death rate, as compared with many cities of its size, both on the 

 Pacific Coast and in the East. Without further study, it would 

 be impossible to give the reason for this decrease, if it is true, or 

 to attribute it to improved conditions. It is a subject well worthy 

 of further investigation, and would involve a study of death rates 

 for at least a- fifteen-year period. According to the mortality sta- 

 tistics for several years back, San Diego has a low typhoid deatli 

 rate, and a low death rate from diseases of children. These two 

 causes of deaths ^e both classed among preventable diseases. 

 Although the city has a small death rate from these causes, it 

 has a high death rate from tuberculosis as compared to other 

 cities. This is due to the fact that people come here already af- 

 flicted with the disease, a factor which makes the death rate of 

 the whole of California higher than that of other states. How- 

 ever, the State Board of Health has discovered that in spite of 

 the fact that the high death rate is largely due to the influx of 

 out-siders, more than one-third are deaths of natives or residents 

 of ten years and over of California.* This is to be expected. Tu- 

 berculosis is a communicable disease, and if a large number of the 

 tubercular persons are here and no provision is made for the".' 

 care, or for teaching them proper measures for the protection of 

 the residents, these residents also will be subject to the disease, 

 in spite of the great advantages here for out-door living. 



Water Supply 



San Diego is fortunate in having a pure water supply, owned 

 and operated by the municipality. This supply comes from prac- 

 tically an uncontaminated water shed, and is forced through a 

 filter before reaching the consumer. Recent bacteriological and 



*State Board of Health Report, 1910-1911, P. 119. 



