The Colored Race 135 



knowing the exact state of affairs, because the diagnoses sent 

 in are from different standpoints, and symptoms put down 

 instead of diseases or pathological states. For example, 

 many cases are put down as ' ' convulsions " or " teething ' ' 

 which give us no record of the real pathological condition 

 present. Again, many appear as cholera infanticm, which 

 covers a multitude of sins. My own experience has been that 

 real cholera infantum is rare among us, comparativelj' 

 speaking. 



To try and clear up somewhat this unsatisfactory nomen- 

 clature, I have picked out of the mortuary tables the diseases 

 common during infancy and childhood and have arranged 

 them in three main groups. 



I have in this table only put down those diagnoses which 

 are recognized as children's diseases, and which are of suf- 

 ficient importance to be considered as factors in the death-rate. 

 Where there is doubt of the case being infant or adult, or, for 

 example, under enteritis, which, morever, only includes a 

 few ca.ses, I have omitted them. This table will give us a 

 fair idea of the relative mortality of the two races. They can 

 be divided into three groups. "Congestion of the brain," 

 "convulsions," "meningitis," and probably the most of 

 "dentition," and "worms," are but .different expressions for 

 closely allied pathological states of the brain and nerve centres. 

 Again, "cholera infantum," " entero-colitis," "thrash," 

 "inanition," "intestinal catarrh," and "marasmus," are 

 all related to the gastro-intestinal tract. And there is a third 

 group comprised under diphtheria, whooping-cough, mem- 

 branous croup, measles, and scarlatina, diseases recognized 

 as having a specific germ origin. 



