1872 — Cerebral Spinal Meningitis, MA (esp. Boston), NYC, PA (esp. Philly) –1,090
— 1,090 Blanchard tabulation based on State and local breakouts below.
Massachusetts (175)
— 175 State Year. Upham. Cerebro-spinal Meningitis in Massachusetts…1873. 1874, p. 10.
— 63 Boston “ Upham. Cerebro-spinal Meningitis in Massachusetts…1873. 1874, p. 10.
New York (782)
— 782 NYC. Billings. “Cerebrospinal Meningitis in New York City During 1904 and 1905.”
— 607 NYC Jan 1-Jun 30. Clymer. Epidemic Cerebro-Spinal Meningitis…in…NY. 1872, 43.
— 469 “ Jan 6-May 31. Stille. “Epidemic Cerebro-Spinal Meningitis,” in Pepper 1885, 801
Philadelphia (133)
— 133 Medical Society of PA. Transactions of the MSPA, 1872. P. 205.
— 133 Stille. “Epidemic Cerebro-Spinal Meningitis,” in Practical Med…, Pepper. 1885, 800.
New York City
Billings: “During the past forty years there have been four outbreaks of epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis in New York City. The first and, up to that of 1904 and 1905, the most severe epidemic was in 1872, when there were 782 deaths—a death rate of 8.70 per 10,000.” (Billings, J. S. Jr. “Cerebrospinal Meningitis in New York City During 1904 and 1905.” JAMA, Vol. XLVI, No. 22, 6-2-1906, pp. 1670-1676.)
Stille: “By far the greatest number of the subjects of epidemic meningitis are young persons….Dr. J. L. Smith found that, according to the reports of the Board of Health of the city of New York, out of 975 cases, 771 occurred in parsons under fifteen years of age, the greatest number for any quiquennial period being 336 in children under five years. Of the 469 deaths occurring in this epidemic, 216 were of children under five years of age, and the next largest number for an equal period was 99, which represented the deaths between the ages of five and ten years. Of adults or persons beyond the age of twenty, the whole number was but 39.” (Stille. “Epidemic Cerebro-Spinal Meningitis,” in Pepper 1885, 802.)
“Out of 469 fatal cases in the city of New York in 1872, 334 are said to have terminated within eleven days, and of this number 270 were fatal in the first six days of the attack, including 52 who died on the first day and 51 in from one to two days….” (Stille 1885, 818)
Philadelphia
MSPA: “Cerebro-spinal meningitis was more general and fatal than it had been since the year 1865, its victims numbering 133; of whom two thirds were minors, and one-sixth under one year.” (MSPA. Transactions. 1872, p. 205.)
Sources
Billings, J. S. Jr. “Cerebrospinal Meningitis in New York City During 1904 and 1905.” JAMA, Vol. XLVI, No. 22, 6-2-1906, pp. 1670-1676. Abstract accessed 5-15-2013 at: http://jama.jamanetwork.com/mobile/article.aspx?articleid=458278
Clymer, Meredith. Epidemic Cerebro-Spinal Meningitis; With an Appendix: Some Points on the Causes of the Disease as Shown by the History of the Present Epidemic in the City of New York. Philadelphia: Lindsay & Blakiston, 1872. Digitized by Google at: http://books.google.com/books?id=FtPlokITNdwC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_atb#v=onepage&q&f=false
Medical Society of the State of Pennsylvania. Transactions of the Medical Society of the State of Pennsylvania at Its Twenty-Third Annual Session…June 1872 (Vol. IX., Part I). Philadelphia, PA: The Society, 1872. Digitized by Google. At: http://books.google.com/books?id=XqYRAAAAYAAJ
Stille, Alfred. “Epidemic Cerebro-Spinal Meningitis,” in A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors (Vol. 1). William Pepper & Louis Starr (Eds.). Philadelphia: Lea Brothers & Co., 1885. Google digitized at: http://books.google.com/books?id=65swAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_atb#v=onepage&q&f=false
Upham, Jabez Baxter. Cerebro-Spinal Meningitis in Massachusetts: Being a Succinct History of the Epidemic of 1873. Boston: Wright & Potter, State Printers, 1874. Digitized by Google at: http://books.google.com/books?id=gyVAAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_atb#v=onepage&q&f=false