The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-11-19
THE CiUSES or DEIrH.


Over thirty-one thousand deaths, carry
Ing on about two per cent 81 the population.
occurred In Massachusetts, last year; and as the
climate and conditions II life In that Common
wealth are in the main the same IA those OF all
our Older Northern States. We can get much
valuable information by tho study Of the causes
q. those deaths.
o. the whole number. moro than third. or
lilo 81 tho deaths. wcrc those " children
md r ilyc years Of ago Less than utcnih part
OF tho total. or only 2.9G7. died between the ages
Of % ami 80 and from 80 onward the deaths
numbered l7.21j. OK something moro than %
half of tho whole. During 1877 there were
1850 births IN tho STATE. but during tho
same time G.3i3 infants under one year were
swept away by death. To each 900 living the
ANNUAL death rat" under i've years was oyor 81.
and q did not rise even NJ high as half that
until the age Of seventy WIS passed when It
r"nrhcd GS. and then. Of course. rapidly in
creased.
These figures. like the statistics Of mortality
everywhere. 90 % show that on the average
very young lives aro far more ia danger than
any others except the very old The green fruit
falls 20 the ground because il is unable To- with
stand the blasts or is lghted. and the old fruit
drops be-. use ii is ovcrripe.
Seventy per cent OF the deaths wcrc caused
10y twenty different Diseases. but the greatest
fatality followed tho inroads Of those old enemies
Of life. consumption. diphthcria. pneumonia.
cholera iniantum old axe. and heart disease.
The rest of the twenty causes. arranged in the
order ot their dcsiructivcness. were paralysis.
typhoid fever. cancer. a. sentcry, commissions
Group. apoploNy scarlatina tuborcular mcnin-
gifts, bronchitis. cntcrtis. d!arrhua. Brights
disease and drowning. Consumption was the
great cause Of death, rs L has been In our eli
matr within the memory ~ man. More than a
sixth ~ the whole number OF deaths for the
year We're due 10 that disease In every county
OF the State it stood first among the causes of
mortality. Dphthrrln carried on less than half
~ many victims. though il was the next most
prolil cause OF death; anl pneumonia. chol-
era inimtum. and heart disease together
though thcy were all 80 d. structive. were re-
sponslhle for only about rs many deaths rs con-
sumption alone.
II is interesting 20 observe that the deaths
from old age $50. or about one twentieth Of
the wholc-stood next in number 10 those from
CONSUMPTION in three al the Mnssaehu- It's
counties, and those all the less deuscly lopu-
lated seacoast counties Barnstble. which in
cluies Cape Cod Dukes. and Nantucket COM
prising the Islands II those names. and plym-
outh. of national fame. In the hill counties Of
eonsuuntion. .ononI Ii,r.,,,'. WE '''S'
,n.l or, .o,.,,r,, 80 '''''"' V'N
min. tl,r,, olj ,co ros,'..,i,..t,. ''N''''
THO nv, ,o,sD.' v,Ii,I' ,.s.', a., .,.,..,....
tiyoof life ,l.r.rort a',o ~ 50
In 1877 we.
,,,
,n,r,, ,,r, '"'''".' "'ou'' d'ph
cronr N'''
Foq, . Dio-rir,t arhmofia. second c,,l,,t..tri,l
Group, fourth. typhoid o',er aiui. pneumonia
h"a 10 NJ H-first. dirhtheuA. second. con-umruon
W'd Nnho" i'er' fourth heart dlsc"e. n.th. drown
"-
49, +" w., ,"'' ,'h' u"pu'n second rlh"'
nj. '''' '''' ''''"''''A"' ''" neat
Bn. 30 % .o-r,r., .,,,.,....,,,. .,...., ,..,..,
FEVER. hir.. pneumonia; fourth t,ort dc, n.,
Rrchrsdi,,u
haD SD foo ao-rlr,t consumption. ID. .nl heart li~
ease iird. pn'wnoul" fourth, plAod .,,er ni,h.
'n'''n
'''. w. " ''"''' ''"'u'nPn'N' second heart disc
'"' '"'"' p"'"'n'"'' l'NFlh cancer ann, o. Ihod
'f'r
F"H .p % al-Firit. cpnsumI lion. second heart Ms,
cas-. Mird. pneumonia. fourth cancer. nub ,,,,l,i
y,,n CAD ID ,o-F,r.t c,r.,,,,,.,,,. -, ,.' '''
as. ,ii,, ,,.,,.,, , '''''', N'"'" "'''l MS
,,o., ,a. ,., W." "-'' ''''hl paralysis uirl
40 oat o.,,-rr.t od age. second. por,l,,,. ,.,l
pu,uulnil. fourth. heat tli,eu,.. uiui ar.,.i. "a.