The Case for Birth Control: A Supplementary Brief and Statement of FactsSanger, Margaret
Science
The Case for Birth Control: A Supplementary Brief and Statement of Facts
Sanger, Margaret
Birth control; Eugenics
Cambria City, which is composed of the two most populous wards of
Johnstown, has the third highest infant mortality rate, 177.4. It has a
large foreign element, as is evidenced by the fact that 90.6 per cent.
of the mothers interviewed were foreign born. It is situated along the
river, between the hills of Minersville and Morrellville, and somewhat
to the north of Prospect. The sewage from other residential sections and
from the steel mills above them empties into the river at this point. In
warm, dry seasons the river is low, flows slowly, and forms
foul-smelling pools.
Sewer connection is possible for most of the houses in Cambria City,
although all are not connected. Some, on the streets bordering the
river, have private drain pipes that empty out into the stream. Others
have their kitchen sinks connected with the sewer but still retain yard
privies, which, of course, are not sewer connected.
There is considerable crowding of houses on lots, rear houses being
commonly built on lots intended for but one house. Density of population
and house congestion are greater here than elsewhere in the city.
The streets of Cambria City are somewhat better graded and more
generally paved than those of Woodvale, but muddy streets and unpaved
sidewalks nevertheless exist here. Broad Street, however, which is the
business thoroughfare and runs through the center of the section, is the
widest and best constructed street in Johnstown. Bradley Alley, on the
other hand, running the length of Cambria City and parallel to Broad
Street, is the most conspicuous example in the city of a narrow lane or
alley used as a residence street. A number of small dwellings, generally
housing more than one family, have their frontage on this alley, which
is 19 feet 10 inches in width and without sidewalks. It is unpaved and
in bad condition, generally being either muddy or dusty and littered
with bottles, cans, and other trash. (See Plates F. and G.)
Homerstown has an infant mortality rate of 156, ranking fourth among the
several sections of Johnstown in this respect. It has a fairly
prosperous and somewhat suburban appearance, but its comparatively high
infant mortality rate can perhaps be partly accounted for by the bad
street conditions and the fact that refuse of all sorts is dumped into
the shallow river at this point.
Minersville is a district where a high rate would be expected from
prevailing conditions. The rate is 125, or less than the average for the
city but more than double that for the most favorable sections. This
ward is built on a hill and so located that the rising clouds of
grit-laden smoke from the steel mills envelop it much of the time. Only
one street in this section is well paved, and this is seldom clean.
Houses on some of the streets near the top of the hill are not sewer
connected, and streams of waste water trickle down the hill and give
rise to unpleasant odors. (See Plates H and I.)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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