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human body. The disease germs in this excreta live a certain length of time in the water, and a person using any in which they exist, for either drinking or washing, is in danger of contracting the disease. That all do not so contract it simply shows the resisting power of their systems. It is indirect violation of the State law to in any way pollute the streams furnishing water for domestic purposes. This applies to towns as well as individuals, and it is your duty to watch the water supply of your jurisdiction and keep it pure. Towns sewering into such streams or lakes should be at once notified that they must take steps to secure other means of disposing of their sewage. Corrals and closets of ranches should be moved back from the stream a reasonable distance, and campers should be notified that they must not use the stream in which to wash clothing or deposit the refuse and excreta of their camp. All camping should be prohibited on the banks of streams which directly flow into a reservoir supplying water for domestic purposes, or immediately above the intake of a water supply on a stream, as many cases of typhoid fever have been traced to this source. Typhoid fever is an entirely preventable disease and its existence is a crime against the inhabitants of a State, so many of whom die from it each year. As soon as the people learn that the drinking of dilute sewage is the great cause of this disease and insist that those above them keep from polluting the water and in turn exercise the same care themselves, we shall have taken a long step toward stamping it out.

A representative of the State Board has visited many of the cities and towns which are violating the law against polluting the streams, and has shown them the means by which it can be avoided. Several are acting on the suggestions made and there is no doubt but that in the near future a great improvement will be seen. During a recent teur of inspection, a short distance above a city which pumps its water directly from a stream, a man was seen throwing a load of manure into the water. This, irritating and foul as it was, was not as bad as the acts of nearby towns which discharge all their sewage into the same stream. There is not a city or town in the State that is befouling and polluting the streams but what can, with moderate expense, install a system of sewage destruction. In the saving of life and promoting good health this would be a paying investment.

STATE HYGIENIC LABORATORY.

In accordance with an Act of the last Legislature a State Hygienic Laboratory has been established at the University of California at Berkeley, under the control of the State Board of Health. The work of the laboratory is designed to meet the needs of district health officers, who do not have access to municipal laboratories. The limited funds provided will necessarily restrict the work, but it will be possible at present to do routine diagnostic work on such diseases as tuberculosis, diphtheria, anthrax and typhoid fever, together with the examination. of water suspected of sewage pollution.

For the present the privileges of the laboratory will be extended to official medical and veterinary health officers. Circulars giving further details of the work that can be done are in preparation. These will be mailed to all such officers known to the State Board of Health.

Births.-Returns for July from thirty-four counties, including thirteen freeholders' charter cities, give a total of 579 living births. All were white children, except 7 negroes, 2 Chinese, and 3 Japanese. The total number of males was 290 as compared with 289 females, but among the white children alone the boys numbered 288 and the girls only 279. There were 10 plural births, each being a case of twins. Two children were the twelfth born to their respective mothers, 3 the eleventh, and 1 the tenth. On the other hand, 208 or 35.9 per cent were first-born children, 120 or 20.7 per cent second children, 77 or 13.3 per cent third children, 41 or 7.1 per cent fourth children, and only 88 or 15.2 per cent the fifth or over born, the information not being stated for 45 or 7.8 per cent of all. By taking successive totals, it appears that while more than one third (35.9 per cent) were first-born, about five ninths (56.6 per cent) were second children or less, seven tenths (69.9 per cent) were third children or less, and over three fourths (77.0 per cent) were no more than the fourth born to their mothers.

Of all the children born to the 579 mothers having births in July the number living at the time of registration was as follows: none, 13 or 2.3 per cent; one, 201 or 34.7 per cent; two, 127 or 21.9 per cent; three, 70 or 12.1 per cent; four, 34 or 5.9 per cent; five or more, 62 or 10.7 per cent; and not stated, 72 or 12.4 per cent.

Of the 567 white children, 381 or 77.2 per cent had both parents native (or unknown) and 186 or 32.8 per cent had one or both parents foreign born. The 381 of native parentage included 244, or 43.0 per cent of the total, having one or both parents born in California and 137, or 24.2 per cent of all, having both parents born elsewhere in the United States. The 186 wholly or partly of foreign parentage comprised 57, or 10.1 per cent of all, with one parent born in California and 129, or 22.7 per cent of the total, with both parents born elsewhere. Altogether 301 or 53.1 per cent of the white children had one or both parents born in the Golden State. That is, considerably over half were wholly or partly of California parentage.

The nativity of merely the mothers of the 567 white children was as follows: California, 249 or 43.9 per cent; other states, 211 or 37.2 per cent; and foreign countries, 107 or 18.9 per cent. More than two fifths of the white mothers were native Californians.

By age periods, the white mothers were distributed thus: under 25 years, 210; 25 to 34 years, 257; 35 to 44 years, 73; 45 years and over, 1; and age unknown, 26. Or, stated proportionally, of each 1,000 there were 370 under 25 years, 453 from 25 to 34 years, 129 from 35 to 44 years, 2 at least 45 years of age, and 46 age unknown. Over four ninths (45.3 per cent) of the white mothers were from 25 to 34 years of age and three eighths (37.0 per cent) were under 25 years, so that altogether over four fifths (82.3 per cent) were less than 35 years of age.

Marriages.--For July, altogether 547 marriages were reported from thirty-three counties. Except for 7 marriages of negroes, the unions were all between persons of the white or Caucasian race. In 396 cases, or nearly three fourths (72.4 per cent) of all, the marriage performed was the first for each party, both groom and bride being single. In 67 instances it was the first marriage of the groom but not of the bride, in 48 the first of the bride but not of the groom, and in 36, or about one case in fifteen, it was the second or third marriage of both parties. Of

the grooms, 463 or 84.7 per cent (about five sixths) were single, 51 or 9.3 per cent were widowed, and 33 or 6.0 per cent were divorced, while of the brides the single were 444 or 81.2 per cent (about four fifths of all), the widowed 64 or 11.7 per cent, and the divorced 39 or 7.1 per cent. Somewhat more grooms than brides had not been previously married, the difference being made up mainly in the greater number of widows than of widowers remarrying.

Of the 540 marriages of whites, 260 or 48.2 per cent were unions between Californians or between Californians and other natives, 115 or 21.3 per cent were between persons born elsewhere in the United States, 44 or 8.1 per cent were between Californians and foreigners, and 121 or 22.4 per cent were between other natives and foreign-born whites. In altogether 304 cases, or about five ninths (56.3 per cent) of all marriages of whites, one or both parties were native Californians.

The nativity of the white brides alone was as follows: California, 254 or 47.0 per cent; other states (including 5 of unknown nativity), 186 or 34.5 per cent; and foreign countries, 100 or 18.5 per cent. Nearly half were born in the Golden State.

The white brides were distributed thus by age periods: under 25 years, 327; 25 to 34 years, 137; 35 to 44 years, 53; and 45 years and over (including 2 of age unknown), 23. Or, the proportion per 1,000 of all ages was as follows: under 25 years, 605; 25 to 34 years, 254; 35 to 44 years, 98; and 45 years and over, 43. Three fifths (60.5 per cent) of all were under 25 years of age and one fourth (25.4 per cent) were from 25 to 34 years, so that altogether five sixths (85.9 per cent) were less than 35 years old.

Deaths. Returns for July from forty counties, including fifty-six cities and incorporated towns, give a total of 1,211 deaths, exclusive of stillbirths not tabulated. Reports that no deaths occurred in the month were received from the Registrars of two mountain counties and seventeen cities and towns. The calculation of a death rate is omitted because the returns from some registration districts cover only part of the month.

Causes of Death. The following table shows the number and proportion of deaths from the diseases included under each of the main headings of the International Classification:

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About one fifth of the deaths were caused by general diseases other than epidemic diseases. The prominence of this class is explained by

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The State Hygienic Laboratory has fortunately secured the coöperation of the Food Laboratory of the University of California, under the direction of Prof. M. E. Jaffa. Data relating to analyses of food with reference to purity, etc., will be furnished by him from time to time. The first contribution appears elsewhere in this Bulletin.

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No determinations were made on the above samples for either adulterants or preservatives. The investigation was undertaken with a view of showing the necessity of a food inspection law which would enable consumers to buy food materials honestly labeled.

These tabulated results show that the "evaporated creams do not approach in fat content that of an average cream, which should contain at least 20 per cent fat. The food value of these products is about double that of ordinary milk, and consequently they should be labeled “condensed milk.

FOOD LABORATORY, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA.

M. E. JAFFA.

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N. K. FOSTER, M.D., State Registrar. Sacramento | GEORGE D. LESLIE, Statistician.....

STATE HYGIENIC LABORATORY. ARCHIBALD R. WARD, D.V.M., Director..

Sacramento

University of California, Berkeley

VITAL STATISTICS FOR JULY.

Summary. A total of 579 living births were reported for July from thirty-four counties, including thirteen freeholders' charter cities, all except 12 of the children being white. There were 10 sets of twins, and 6 children were at least the tenth born to their respective mothers. However, more than one third were first-born children and over three fourths were no more than the fourth in order of birth. Considerably over half of the white children had one or both parents born in the Golden State, and of the white mothers alone more than two fifths were native Californians. Three eighths of the white mothers were under 25 of age, and more than four fifths altogether were under 35 years.

years

For July 547 marriages were reported from thirty-three counties, all except 7 being marriages of whites. At nearly three fourths of the weddings the marriage performed was the first for each party, and only in about one case in fifteen had both parties been married before. Somewhat more grooms than brides had not been previously married, about five sixths of the grooms, against four fifths of the brides, being single. In about five ninths of the marriages one or both parties were native Californians, and of the brides alone nearly half were natives of this State. Three fifths of the white brides were under 25 years of age, and altogether five sixths were less than 35 years old.

A total of 1,211 deaths were reported from forty counties, including fifty-six cities and incorporated towns. The principal causes of death were general diseases (especially other than epidemic diseases), violence, and diseases of the circulatory system, the nervous system, the digestive system, the respiratory system, and the genito-urinary system. One eighth of all deaths in the State were from tuberculosis, but many of the persons thus dying were only recent residents.

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