REPORTS OF County and Town Boards of Health. Reports of County Health Officers. ALLEGANY COUNTY. Dr. J. C. Holdsworth, Midland, Health Officer. No report. ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY. ANNAPOLIS, MD... March 1. 1913. Dr. John S. Fulton, Secretary State Board of Health, Baltimore, Md. Dear Dr. Fulton: I herewith submit my report for the year ending December 31, 1912. Total number of deaths, 650; white males, 191; white females, 108: colored males, 188; colored females, 163. Total number of births, 715; white males, 251; white females, 217 colored males, 117: colored females, 130. The principal causes of death given: Disease of heart and arteries, 58; typhoid fever, 14; apoplexy, 26; cerebral hemorrhage, 15; acute cerebral paralysis, 7; convulsions, 18; concussion, 2 blood clot on brain, 1; pneumonia, broncho and lobar, 57: bronchitis, 12; influenza, 3; congestion of lung, 3: pulmonary hemorrhage, 1; asthma, 1; pulmonary abscess. 1; pulmonary tuberculosis, 50; tuberculosis of hip, 1; tuberculosis of throat, 1 tubercular peritonitis, 5: nephritis, acute and chronic, 64; still births, 32; premature births, 22; pertussis, 14: gastro enteritis. 19; gastritis. 1; dysentery, 2; entero colitis, 20; chronic diarrhoea, 1; intestinal hemorrhage. 1: enteritis, 1; cholera infantum, 9; cancer of intestines, 4; ulcer of stomach, 1; obstruction, 1; strangulated hernia, 2; appendicitis, 1; cancer of stomach, 9; acute indigestion, 12: intestinal intoxication, 1; marasmus, 14; acute inanition, 2; congenital debility, 7; malnutrition, 1; general debility, 1; carcinoma of uterus, 6; carcinoma of breast, 3; cancer of liver, 4; cancer of lung, 1; sarcoma of humerus, 1; cancer of face, 1; cancer of neck, 1; cancer of testical, 1; cancer of leg, 1; hepatic abscess, 1; hepatic colic, 1; gall stones, 1; hepatitis, 1; cirrhosis of liver, 3; laryngitis, 1; diabetis, 2; cretanism, 1; sunstroke, 1; eclampsia, 1; accidental asphixia, 2; natural causes, 2; infirmities of age, 10; accidents including suicides and murders, 34; congenital hydrocephalus, 1; congenital malformation, 1; epilepsy, 1; syphilis, 3; chronic alcoholism, 1; legal execution, 1; septicemia, 1; dementia, 1; cystitis, 3; nervous prostration, 1; unknown, 10; pernicious anemia, 1; cellulitis of face and neck, 1; malarial fever, 3; locomotor ataxia, 1; meningitis, 9; diphtheria, 5; icterus neonatorum, 1; polio myelitis, 3. Contagious diseases reported-Typhoid fever, 48; of this number 17 occurred at the Maryland House of Correction; measles, 3; chicken pox, 7; pertussis, 24; diphtheria, 20; septis tonsillitis, 1; ophthalmia neonatorum, 1; scarlet fever, 26; polio myelitis, 6. In July Wm. M. Talbott, an undertaker in the First District, was reported to the Secretary of the State Board of Health for illegal interment of a body. He was notified to appear before the Secretary, and what further action was taken I do not know. On July 3, 1912, I swore out a warrant before Justice of the Peace John N. Davis, of Annapolis, against John E. Dolle, employed by the firm of Henry W. Jenkins & Sons, of Baltimore, for disintering two bodies on July 1st, 1912, without obtaining permission of the county health officer or his representative. The man was convicted before Justice Davis and an appeal taken to the Circuit Court, where the case was steted by the State's attorney, because of insufficient evidence to convict. In this same case Chaney and Suit, Undertakers. of Annapolis, were involved and a warrant was sworn out against them by the direction of Dr. Price, but to date the case has not come to trial. I have no doubt that when the case is called that a conviction will be secured. November 29, 1912, I received a telephone message from Dr. Rohrer notifying me that a man working in a guano factory at Curtis Bay, Fifth District, but living in Baltimore, had been taken to the Quarantine Hospital, Baltimore, suffering with smallpox. With the assistance of Dr. T. B. Horton, local health officer at Curtis Bay, on November 30 and December 2, we vaccinated 180 persons who had come in contact with this man, and to date we have had no smallpox in the county. Several times during the year I have been forced to close one or more schools on account of scarlet fever and diphtheria. I have registered 27 midwives, 24 being negro women and 3 white. There are many more in the county that I do not know of and who do not report births. If the physicians living in the county who know these midwives would report them to me with the evidence, I think that after prosecuting a few they would all register and make the report of a birth promptly. As conditions now are, it is almost impossible to secure a conviction in the cases against the midwives. Dear Dr. Fulton: In accordance with the law which requires that I shall make an annual report to the Honorable State Board of Health, I herewith transmit same for Baltimore County for the year ending December 31, 1912. I have compiled in the annual report the tabulated monthly statements that you may at a glance get the condition of the county for the entire year. During the year for which this report is compiled the health of Baltimore County has been good, barring those diseases controlled by climatic causes. The district health officers have preserved in each district a condition which is a credit to the whole county, thus showing that they are looking after the health of the residents of their respective districts in such a manner that epidemics and contagious diseases have been arrested in their incipiency, causing great saving of life to the public, it being only necessary in a few instances to call to their aid the county health officer, and in some instances the State Board of Health to stamp out any infectious or pestilential disease which had grown to proportions beyond the ability of the district health officer to extinguish, and in those instances the assistance of the State Board has been greatly appreciated. During the period covered by this report the following comparisons and items are given, in order that at a glance you may the better understand the conditions as they existed in comparison with other years. VITAL STATISTICS. During 1912 there were 2,032 births reported, this being an increase of 508 over the year 1911, as compared with an increase of 67 in 1911. The figures also show an increase of 708 over the 1909. This is all due to the present law for reporting vital statistics; yet I feel that there are a great many births that are not reported. There were 1,857 deaths, as compared with 1,932 in 1911. The greatest number of deaths were from one cause, 217 from tuberculosis, 7 less than in 1911. The three next greatest number of deaths from any one cause were as follows: Bright's disease, 167; heart disease, 145; pneumonia, 147. There were 1,857 burial permits issued. No prosecutions nor convictions for any cause has come to the notice of this office. REGISTRATION AND LICENSURE OF MIDWIVES. The number of midwives registered were 6; the usual qualification being given as having practices with physicians for a number of years, or having practiced as midwives for a number of years. There was one case where an examination was taken for the practice of midwifery and the applicant made a creditable showing in answering the questions. INFECTIOUS DISEASES. The number of cases of infectious diseases reported by the health officer to this office were 858, as compared with 2,094 in 1911, 1,346 in 1910 and 1,297 in 1909. There were 129 deaths caused by infectious diseases, as compared with 188 deaths in 1911 and 191 in 1910, showing that physicians are using every measure known to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, and every known measure to combat the disease when once it is known to exist. There were several epidemics during the year, notably the epidemic of scarlet fever at Roland Park, and the typhoid epidemic at Towson. The number of fumigations and disinfections were 739 rooms and 404 houses. There were 33 cases of diphtheria in which antitoxin was issued. |