Show LIVING IN DARKNESS CENSUS TULLS OF THOUSANDS TOTALLY BLIND deprivation of sight most common among the foreign corn born victims of deafness and the causes for affliction there are many enlightening and interesting facts and dures D ures in the special report of tile leaf deaf ind and blind in this country which S N D north director of the bureau of 0 the census has submitted to the department ol of commerce and labor the preliminary data for the report were collected by tile the enumerators in 1900 and from them inquiries were made made with more definite results the report states that in 1900 there I 1 were 3 ao near as could bo be 35 aa persons in tho country totally blind and partially blind in new cw england there were 2 isa totally blind and in massachusetts 1200 to tally blind anil aind partially so the percentage of the blind is con Theler sidema y greater among foreign born whites than among tho native population owing principally to tile the difference in the age of t the two classes the percentage of blind blin ness is greater in colored people th than in the whites of the totally ablina 2317 were blind from birth and 2081 2084 blind after birth but under two cars ars of age of 0 the totally blind aie single and 12 married A large majority of the partially blind are married neal neaily ly 1300 of the totally blind are children of cousins his but total blindness occurs with somewhat greater arc quency among those whose parents are not related six per cent of tile the tally blind have attended school and per cent of those ten years old or over are gainfully employed cataracts old age injuries accidents operations affections of 0 nervous ap apparatus aratus sore eyes and neuralgia found to be the principal causes of blindness the report gives ives the number ot of totally deaf in 1900 as 3 37 sag and those who could hear loudly alic shouted conversation tho the deaf and and aum dumb number 2469 and the blind and deaf 2772 deafness deafner was as found to occur most frequently under 20 3 ears cars of age and one half of the deaf lost their heir hearing under the age of 11 the tables show a laige proportion of deaf in ili the new england states especially balne new hampshire and vermont teer feer measles and other diseases causing inflammation in the middle ear are the predominating causes especially in vermont and new hampshire and congenital deafness is frequent in biagino of the total totally ly deaf could speak well imperfectly nil tho the remainder illa inder not at all tto tre majority of the deaf are males but as there ar are Q more men than wan c in tae ce world this fact is not to be marveled at catarrh is the most frequent cause of deafness then comes scarlet fever with a heavy percentage taa tl n diseases of the ear car meningitis colds measles biala and typhoid fevers nearly half of the deaf over 20 are gainfully employed a largo rac percentage in professional service I 1 I 1 |