The Surgical peculiarities of the American Negro : a statistical inquiry based upon the records of the Charity Hospital of New Orleans, La., decennium 1884-'94 / by Rudolph Matas.

  • Matas, Rudolph, 1860-1957.
Date:
[1896]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The Surgical peculiarities of the American Negro : a statistical inquiry based upon the records of the Charity Hospital of New Orleans, La., decennium 1884-'94 / by Rudolph Matas. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    grell confirm the relative infrequency of deafness in the colored race. De Roaldes observes that of 24 cases of congenital deaf- rnutism that have applied to his clinic for treatment, only one was a negro. He quotes the United States Census of 1890, which states that in i,ooo,oco inhabitants of the South Atlantic division there were 745 white deaf-mutes and 438 colored vic- tims of this defect. In the South Central division there were 659 deaf-mutes among the white inhabitants and 304 deaf-mutes among the colored per 1,000,000 inhabitants. While it is probable that the number of deaf-mutes is greater in the colored than the census figures would indicate, it is nevertheless quite certain that the proportion of deaf-mutes is greater in the white than in the colored race. The conclusions arrived at by Dr. de Roaldes are stated as follows: 1. Between the white and negro races there exist marked differences from the standpoint of the otologist. But as the field of observation widens the differences between the races appear to be less numerous than one would be led to believe by the first impression. 2. Without denying the influence of climate, of hygiene, and of environment, etc., I am inclined to believe that the peculiari- ties presented by the negro race from the standpoint of the aural specialist are due, in a great measure, to the anatomical differences existing between the races. Having referred at sufficient length to the peculiarities of the nose and pharynx that are of surgical interest, I shall simply refer to the following tables, prepared by Dr. Scheppegrell, as a final supplement to this special section. These'tables show the number of cases of the diseases designated in 11,855 cases, the first column being the number of whites affected, the second of the colored, and the third the number of negroes affected to 100 whites. In the tables the word “negro” is not restricted to individuals of pure African type, but as opposed to the term “white,” and known commonly as “colored.”