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nationality of the mother, and presents some important figures:

TABLE VI

PER CENT OF CHILDREN UNDER WEIGHT IN EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, BY NATIONALITY OF MOTHER

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These figures present facts which correspond to previous general impressions, concerning which definite information was lacking.1

Interviews carried on by this study, with doctors practicing in Italian neighborhoods, repeatedly reveal the great prevalence of rickets among the Italian children. Dr. Julius Levy writes of this in an article on the pre-school period. Dr. Antonio Stella of New York City has stated that 70 to 80 per cent of Italian children have rickets.2 Were material comparable to that on the Italians available for other races, differences would doubtless appear, which would bring out the necessity for special provision and treatment.

1 Health News, East Orange, vol. ii, July, 1918.

* Antonio Stella, M.D., "The Effects of Urban Congestion on Italian Women and Children,” New York Medical Record, May 2, 1908

A great service can be rendered by gathering data on the differences of racial morbidity tendencies.

INSANITY AMONG THE FOREIGN BORN

Data on the occurrence of insanity among the native and foreign born are more extensive than on that of other diseases. A careful analysis of first admissions to hospitals for the insane was made by the New York State Hospital Commission in 1912. It was found that the frequency of insanity among the foreign born was 2.19 times as great as among the native throughout the state.

In 1918 again, the foreign born were admitted to hospitals for the insane considerably in excess of their proportion in the general population. The foreign born comprise 30.4 per cent of the population of New York State, and 46.4 per cent of all admissions to state hospitals were foreign born. Figures are obtainable on both the race distribution of all insanity and on the different forms of insanity.1

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1 Thirteenth Annual Report of New York State Hospital Commission, 1918, p. 322.

From an analysis of this table it appears that certain races suffer considerably more from some psychoses than others. The Germans and Irish show the highest per cents of first admissions, due to senile decay; the Italians, Germans, and Hebrews, from general paralysis. For alcoholic psychoses the Irish and Slavs lead all the rest, a fact in entire harmony with the drinking habits of these races. Among the manic-depressives the Hebrews and Italians take first place. Slavs and Hebrews show very high rates from dementia præcox.

These figures, bringing out the marked variation among the different races, have no place in this study except to indicate the value of race statistics. They have been found valuable in the field of pyschiatry and the treatment of psychoses. In the field of medicine similar data would be useful.

RACIAL DIFFERENCES APPARENT

In conclusion, the scarcity of morbidity data, taking into consideration the factor of race, should be emphasized. What little could be secured is not sufficient to establish many specific points, but enough has been given to indicate that there are racial differences in liability to certain diseases.

The general morbidity rate seems to be higher among the foreign born than among the native born. The Italians are afflicted with pneumonia and other diseases of the lungs more than other races, and succumb more readily to its ravages. This is especially true of the children of the pre-school age. Rickets, too, is a menace to the Italian children. Among the Irish, the Italians, Slavs, and Germans, insanity is a thing to be guarded against. How much these are distinctly racial factors; how much due to the eco

nomic conditions under which our immigrants livethe housing and overcrowding, the change from one diet and environment to another-is uncertain. The data are yet inadequate for conclusions as to causes.

The paucity of morbidity statistics relating to race tells its own story of the great need for more careful record-keeping and research along these lines. Knowledge of what diseases attack which races, and why they do so, is vital to the success of all attempts to improve the health status of the immigrant.

III

DEATH RATES OF THE FOREIGN BORN

IN interpreting mortality statistics analyzed for racial factors, there are certain limitations which should be enumerated. Among them is the difference in the age distribution of the native population and of the foreign white stock. The following table, taken from the United States Census for 1910, shows this point:1

TABLE VIII

AGE DISTRIBUTION OF THE POPULATION OF THE UNITED STATES (PERCENTAGES), 1910

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The native population has a much larger per cent of children under five, babies especially, than has the foreign white stock. The latter, as a natural corollary, has a larger proportion of persons in middle life and in the later years.

1 Thirteenth Census of the U. S., 1910, vol. i, p. 298, Table XV.

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