268 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. XIV. No. 350 



SCIENCE; 



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There is little to chronicle this week of the progress in the 

 plan for a world's fair in this city in 1892. The executive com- 

 mittee, composed of members of the various committees who have 

 had the work in charge, and the sinking-fund commissioners, met 

 on Monday and organized. Among the messages received was one 

 from Joseph Pulitzer, subscribing $50,000 outright, and offering to 

 be one of twenty-five to subscribe $100,000 each. The work of 

 getting the property-owners within the limits of the proposed site 

 to give the use of their land on any terms can be said to make 

 practically no progress, as was to be expected. Meanwhile the 

 Chicago committee, who want to see the fair in that city, urge in 

 every way the claims of that city. They will have it, that, as 

 Chicago is nearer the centre of population in this country, it will be 

 more accessible for Americans, who will be those most largely 

 represented as visitors and exhibiters. Then, again, the question 

 of site is not a troublesome one for Chicago. It cannot be said 

 that New York has down much yet to secure the fair, and it is 

 certain that Chicago is making a good deal of noise ; so that, un- 

 less there are some tangible results to show in New York, the 

 popular verdict may soon be in favor of the Western city. 



REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE NEW YORK 

 STATE MEDICAL SOCIETY ON THE CAUSES AND 

 PREVENTION OF BLINDNESS. 



Two years ago a committee was appointed by this society to 

 investigate the question of blindness due to contagious ophthalmia 

 in this State and in the United States, and to recommend means 

 for its prevention. The importance and extent of the subject were 

 so great, that at the meeting one year ago it was only possible to 

 report progress, and ask that more time be given for the work. 

 This was rendered necessary also by the fact that our lamented col- 

 league, Dr. Agnew, was unable to render the valuable assistance 

 upon which we had counted ; and only recently has his place on 

 the committee been satisfactorily filled. Even now it seems advis- 

 able to give a synopsis of the more important features of the sub- 

 ject, instead of attempting to go into many details which are not 

 only of interest to the ophthalmologist, but also of importance from 

 a sanitary point of view. The reasons for this investigation con- 

 cerning the increase of bhndness will become apparent if a state- 

 ment is first made of the statistical facts. In presenting these it 

 will be necessary to repeat to a certain extent the statements made 

 in a paper by the chairman of this committee, which was published 

 in the " Transactions of the American Ophthalmological Society " 

 in 1887. As far as we are aware, however, these statistics have 

 not been stated in a similar manner anywhere else. When we 

 compare the report of the United States census of 1870^ with the 

 report of 18S0, we find the population of the United States in 1870 

 was 38,558,371, and the number of blind then was 20,320 ; whereas 

 the population in 1880 was 50,155,783, and the number of blind 

 was 48,929 : in other words, while the population of the entire 

 country had increased 30.09 per cent, the number of blind had in- 

 creased 140.78 per cent. 



It is worth while, in passing, to call attention to the distribution 

 of the blind throughout the country, and in doing so to quote the 

 figures in the paper already mentioned. If the United States be 

 divided into three parts, according to latitude, — the first or south- 

 erly range of States including those which lie below the 35th par- 

 allel, the second range between the 35th and 40th, and the third 

 above that, — we find there is a constant increase in the ratio as 

 we pass from the north toward the south. Thus there are, in the 

 northerly range of States, 7.9 blind in each 10,000 ; in the middle 

 range of States, 9.42 blind in each 10,000; in the southern range 

 of States, 10.81 blind in each 10,000. 



There is another classification of the States which is also of some 

 interest. If they be divided according to longitude into three 

 -groups, each of which includes about fifteen degrees, we find the 

 proportion of blindness decreases as we go from east to west. 

 According to this division, the first group of States would lie be- 

 tween the Atlantic Ocean and the Mississippi River, extending to 

 about the 1 5th degree of longitude west from Washington ; the 

 second would be from the Mississippi to the Rocky Mountains, or 

 from the 15th to the 30th degree; while the third would include 

 the strip from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean, or from 

 the 30th degree of longitude west. Here we find, in the easterly 

 range of States, 10.34 blind to each 10,000; in the middle range of 

 States, 7.90 blind to each 10,000 ; in the western range of States, 

 5.68 blind to each 10,000. 



So much for the statistics relating to the United States as to the 

 number of blind, their increase throughout the country as a whole, 

 and their distributions in different parts of it. 



Let us next consider the statistics which are available relating to 

 New York State alone. The population in New York State in 

 1870 was 4,382,759, and in 1880 was 5,082,871, being an increase 

 of 15.9 per cent ; whereas the number of blind in New York State 

 in 1870 was 2,213, and i" li'&o was 4,981, being an increase of 

 125.07 per cent. 



In a similar manner, if we compare the State census of 1875 

 with the United States census of 1880, we find the population in 

 1875 was 4,698,958, and in 1880 was 5,082,871, being an increase 

 of 8.1 per cent ; while the number of blind in 1870 was 2,256, and 

 in 1880 was 4,981, being an increase of 1 11.03 P^f cent : in other 

 words, the official reports show, that, during the ten years preceding 

 18S0, blindness in the State of New York increased 8.2 times as 



