tice, refused to give medicine to one of his children when it became ill and refused to allow a physician to attend the child. After an illness of several days the child died. The neighbors of Justice swore out a warrant for him charging him with failure to provide the necessary sustenance to the child, a crime under the laws of the State of Georgia. This was the only charge upon which they could prosecute. The case was tried in the City Court of Dublin, where the man lived, and he was fined $300. He appealed the case from one court to another until it reached the Supreme Court, which reversed the decision of the lower courts.

MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY REPORTS AND
REVIEWS.

NEW YORK.-Monthly Bulletin of the State Department of Health for November reports the percentage of deaths under five years of age in the districts into which the State is divided, severally, was, for the Maritime District, 28.3; Hudson Valley, 16.0; Adirondack and Northern, 14.7; Mohawk Valley, 20.7; Southern Tier, 12.4; East Central, 12.6; West Central, 12.5; Lake Ontario and Western, 13.0; entire State, 14.7. The death rates, respectively, were: Maritime District, 16.0; Hudson Valley, 18.4; Adirondack and Northern, 12.0; Mohawk Valley, 19.4; Southern Tier, 13.0; East Central, 12.6; West Central, 16.5; Lake Ontario and Western, 14.0. Total number of deaths from all causes, 9,010. Death rate, 16.0.

The lowest death rates were: Elmira, 12.0; Syracuse, 13.0; Buffalo, 13.6; Oswego, 14.3; Rochester, 14.7. The highest, Amsterdam, 27.5; Albany and Troy, each, 20.0; Poughkeepsie, 18.7; Yonkers, 18.5; Utica and Lockport, each, 17.0.

During the three fall months just past the actual mortality has been less than the average for the past five years by about 250 deaths, and relatively to the population, the death rate has been considerably less, or about 15.5 per thousand living, against 16.5. There has been a saving in deaths of early life, which is notable, 600 fewer deaths having occurred under the age of five years than the normal. There were likewise somewhat fewer deaths at the other extreme of age, past seventy years. There has also this year, as compared with recent years, been a saving during the autumn months in the mortality from the ten or more common infectious diseases, which are below the average numerically by the decrease in the total number of deaths, 250. All of these dis

168

eases caused fewer deaths than the average, except scarlet fever, whooping cough and smallpox. Consumption, which is attended with a pretty uniform mortality, caused 2,900 deaths in the three fall months, 200 less than the average.

Smallpo.r.-During September and October there was comparatively little smallpox in the State, but in the last two months it has become more widespread. The present chief centres are Rochester, where in November there were 144 cases reported, and 173 in December, and whence it spread to six adjoining towns in Monroe county, and to seven more remote localities, 35 cases in all. At the end of the year there are 24 cases in Monroe county, outside of Rochester, where the outbreak is believed to be decreasing; at Buffalo, Syracuse, Olean, Bristol and Yost's, Montgomery county, 9; in Clinton and Essex counties, 17; Ellicott, 3; Salamanca, 3; Lyons, I, some 60 cases in all. There were 19 deaths in Rochester and I in Brooklyn during the month.

New York City report for the quarter ending June 30: Marriages, 9,604; births, 18,725; deaths, 17,173; still births, 1,525. Reports of births, marriages and still-births are incomplete. Actual number of deaths from zymotic and certain other preventable diseases in Borough of Manhattan, 1,850,093: Cerebrospinal meningitis, 45; diphtheria and croup, 313; typhoid fever, 52; malarial fever, 12; measles, 81; scarlet fever, 170; smallpox, 4; whooping cough, 95; diarrhoeal diseases, 458; phthisis, 966; all causes, 9,263; deaths in institutions, 2,851; deaths under five years of age, 3,215.

Borough of the Bronx, 175,422: Cerebrospinal meningitis, 4; diphtheria and croup, 21; typhoid fever, 8; malarial fever, 6; measles, 48; scarlet fever, 79; smallpox, 93; whooping cough, 28; diarrhoeal diseases, 41; phthisis, 278; all causes, 1,273; deaths in institutions, 514; deaths under five years, 414.

Borough of Brooklyn, 1,166,582: Cerebrospinal meningitis, 13; diphtheria and croup, 201; typhoid fever, 54; malarial fever, 10; measles, 109; scarlet fever, 92; smallpox, 49; whooping cough, 51; diarrhoeal diseases, 395; phthisis, 610; all causes, 5,704; deaths in institutions, 1,062; deaths under five years, 1,982.

Borough of Richmond, 67,021: Cerebrospinal meningitis, 3; diphtheria and croup, 3: typhoid fever, 2; scarlet fever, 6; whooping cough, 3; diarrhoeal diseases, 7; phthisis, 30; all causes, 271; in institutions, 77; under five years, 40.

Borough of Queens, 152,299: Cerebrospinal meningitis, 4; diphtheria and croup, 26; typhoid fever, 2; malarial fever, 1;

measles, 5; scarlet fever, 3; whooping cough, 4; diarrhoeal diseases, 46; phthisis, 57; all causes, 662; in institutions, 72; under five years, 231.

For the four weeks ending January 10, 1903: Cases of infectious disease reported: Consumption, 883; diphtheria and croup, 1,305; measles, 500; scarlet fever, 678; smallpox, 5; varicella, 322; typhoid fever, 317. Total deaths from all causes, 5,005; death rate, 17.72.

CALIFORNIA. San Francisco, 342.782. Report for November, 1902: Total number of deaths, 579; death rate, 19.29, as against 564 for November, 1901, when the rate was 18.79. During the week ended November 29 there were 165 deaths registered, which is greatly in excess of the normal rate for similar periods in past years. The principal causes of death were: Diphtheria, 14; typhoid fever, 14; cancer, 35; tuberculosis, 77; cerebral apoplexy, 21; diseases of brain 17, of heart 69, of respiratory system (including pneumonia) 57, of digestive system 39; Bright's disease, 25; accident, 50; homicide, 3; suicide, 14.

The plague situation, according to most recent reports, has not improved. Case 93, since outbreak, Chinese, died December II. The conditions continue to be a menace to the whole country, and the more by reason of the attitude of the authorities. Governor Gage, in his latest, and it is to be hoped, his last deliverance, at the opening of the Legislature, January 7, reiterates his denial of any existence of the plague in San Francisco at any time, despite the pathological demonstrations of experts of the highest repute.

He says:

"The temporary quarantine established over the State June 16, 1900, through the interest, ignorance, over-zeal or possible vindictiveness of Dr. Kinyoun, for a time checked many of our exports and, besides, injured the fair name of our State for health.

"For several weeks previous to the said quarantine, after a long and careful personal examination and inquiry in San Francisco, entailing much labor, in which I was assisted by many impartial eminent physicians, bacteriologists and representative citizens, I arrived at the true conclusion that no case of bubonic plague had been found to exist in San Francisco or elsewhere in the State. . . "The people of the State owe a debt of gratitude to the members of the present State Board of Health and their assistants for the zealous, painstaking and successful discharge of their many difficult duties in this connection."

All this injury to the fair name of the State is due to his persistent incredulity and inaction, sustained by the State Board of Health. Had they acted with energy commensurate with the importance of the subject to the State and the country at large, there would have been no such injury. On the contrary, the plague there would have been promptly extinguished, the Governor and his subordinates would have received the praise, instead of the condemnation now justly awarded them for their negligence and the consequent danger to the country.-Telegraphic news at the time of this writing:

"Austin, Tex., Jan. 16.—State Health Officer George R. Tabor to-day received a telegram from President Licèaga, of the National Board of Health of Mexico, saying that during the month ending yesterday there had been 116 deaths from bubonic plague at Mazatlan, that no report had been received from Fusenada, Lower California, since December 25, but that up to that time only two deaths from the plague had occurred there.

"Dr. Tabor also received a telegram from Surgeon-General Wyman, of the United States Marine Hospital Service, saying that all border points are well guarded to prevent a spread of the disease to this country. Dr. Tabor was also advised that the plague was taken to Mazatlan from San Francisco, and not from China, as originally reported."

The forthcoming meeting of the U. S. Public Health and Marine Hospital Service, in conjunction with representatives of the State Boards of Health throughout the country, is especially timely with regard to necessary measures to prevent the further spread of the disease.

COLORADO.-Denver, 150,000. Bureau of Health report for November: Total number of deaths, 223-38 under 5 years; deaths from phthisis, 43; diphtheria, 5; typhoid fever, 9; erysipelas, 1; cancer, 5; death rate per 1,000 per annum is reported to have been 17.84. Infectious diseases reported: diphtheria, 86; scarlet fever, 55; typhoid fever, 14; smallpox, 31; erysipelas, 4; measles, 3; chickenpox, 3.

CONNECTICUT.-Bulletin for December, 1902: Deaths, 1,298, 215 more than in November, and 158 more than in December of last year, and 76 more than the average number of deaths in December for the five years preceding. The death rate was 17.5 for

the large towns, for the small towns, 16.0, and for the whole State, 17.1. The deaths reported from infectious diseases, including diarrhoeal, were 230, being 17.7 per cent. of the total mortality.

Smallpox was reported in 9 towns, 38 cases; measles in 37 towns, 149 cases; scarlet fever in 49 towns, 180 cases; diphtheria (and croup) in 35 towns, 159 cases; whooping cough in 18 towns, 594 cases; typhoid fever in 20 towns, 44 cases; consumption in 9 towns, 14 cases.

The total deaths for the calendar year 1902, as certified by the registrars of the 168 towns in the State, was 14,376; this was 480 less than in 1901, and 1,992 less than in the year 1900, also 330 less than the average of the previous 10 years. When it is remembered that three of the most contagious and often the most fatal diseases, to wit, measles, scarlet fever and diphtheria, have each occurred in more than 100 of the 168 towns in the State, and that smallpox has been present in about one-fifth of the towns in Connecticut during the year, it is remarkable that the number of deaths has diminished rather than increased.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, 292,367-89,632 colored. Report for the week ending January 3, 1903: Deaths, 122-9 under five years. Death rates, white, 17.1; colored, 31.9: 24.5. Deaths from consumption, 11; pneumonia, 16; diseases of heart, 10; diseases of kidneys, 10; typhoid fever, 4.

ILLINOIS.-Chicago. Statement of mortality for the week ended Jan. 10, 1903, compared with the preceding week and with the corresponding week of 1902. Death rates computed on estimated populations of 1,885,000 for 1903 and 1,820,000 for 1902: Total deaths, all causes, Jan. 10, 1903, 625; Jan. 3, 628; Jan. 11, 1902, 516: death rates, respectively, 17.29, 17.36, 14.79.-Of the deaths for the week ending Jan. 10, 161 were under five years. Deaths from bronchitis, 30; consumption, 59; cancer, 24; diphtheria, 11; heart diseases, 45; pneumonia, 135; typhoid fever, 29; scarlet fever, 16; whooping cough, 10.

"Fully 10 per cent., or nearly 200.000 residents of Chicago, are to-day suffering from ailments of a grave character caused by privation and exposure resulting from the coal famine. Already these ailments are reflected in the enormous increase of deaths among those at the extremes of life-the young and the aged, in