Clinical memoranda.

  • Joseph Jones
Date:
[1871?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Clinical memoranda. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    200,000. He says, “ New York |an example not to be envied by any healthy cityj cannot boast a lower death rate for the same period”; and page 11 (N. Y. Eeport of Metrop. B. of Health, 1800; he says, that the death rate of New York in 1803 was “ 31.25 in 1000,” and in 1805 “ 30.3 in 1000.” Now, the number of deaths in New Orleans, for the limited time given as above by Dr. Harris, indicates, (even on the exaggerated supposition that the civil population was, more than he claims, 200,000,) a death rate of 43 in 1000 for 1803, and of 40 in 1000 for 1805. If the mortality for the whole year be taken, the death rate was, under the most favorable suppositions, not less than 39 in a 10J0 for 1803, aud 35 in a 10UU for 1805. Thus Dr. Harris’ figures prove his own assertion to be exaggerated; and that New York did have a lower death rate for the same period. 2. Not satisfied with this exaggeration, Dr. H. exclaims “compare this |the number of deaths above given for 1803-5] with the mortality in that city [New OleansJ in August 1853, when 0201 of the inhabitants died.” As well visit an eight feet giant, aud then denounce every man of five aud a half feet as a dwarf! “Or compare with the average mortality of the three years 1853, 1854 and 1855, which gave more than 1000 deaths per month, though the population was far less than during the past summer.” Why should an earnest seeker for the whole truth have gone so far back as 1853, why should he select for comparison the three consecutive years of greatest fatality in the history of New Orleans, and why did he not select by pre- ference the three years immediately preceding the war, and there- fore best illustrative of his subject? It is true that, 1853-5 strongly favor that which 1859-01 totally defeat the theory he advocates. In the aoove quotations, as in the one which follows, he is convicted not only of exaggeration and suppression of facts, but also of the suggestion of what is false. He says of yellow fever, that “ that enemy and pest of the city had been wont to destroy its thousand victims every year, and sometimes to kill no less than 5000 in a single month.” Associate this with his previous statement “in August 1853, when 0201 of the inhabitants died,” and what reader would imagine the facts as they are ? The whole truth is, that
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