DeSoto times. (Hernando, Miss.) 1879-1898, 1890-06-05
AMERICAS DEATH RATE,
" is Considerably Lower Than That of
England or Germany.

| England or Germany.
The following death-rate per 900 is
taken from the last United States census:
unitce states.........,...........
"si"hu,.''' 2O.5
German Empire....... ................26
The following comment is made upon
these figures by DR.. Billings in Vol. NJ.
Of the same census
From this it will be seen that the death.
rate In the United States compares favorably
WIN that of other civilized countries and
| 'n's should be the case, since poverty and
| o'cr'crowdtng are the chief causes of excess.
No mortality, and in this country there is a
more general and euuahln distribution oi
| the means OF supporting lif', including
| especially food SUI ply of good quality and
more room than in European countries
| Nevertheless, our mortality rate Is not as
low as tshould be, especially if we take into
consideration the fact that our population is
| being largely added to by the immigration
| persons of those ages which have the lowest
| ueath-rate5 At present the average NOR
taIity rate for the whole country should not
| exceed l6 or at the utmost l6 per 0lO in
other words, nearly 100 600 deaths occurred
during the census year, chiefly among in.
| rants In cities and in the colorcd populat ion,
| whlch were, in one sense, unnecessary and
| pleNcltdDlc
According to the same census there is
practically no disease, with the cxccp-
tion of typhoid and malarial feyers,
which does not claim larger number Of
deaths in the large cities than in the
| country Il. {. smaller towns, villages and
sparsely settled regions). The conclusion
is reached by tabulating the number of
deaths for certain specified diseases in
100000 of population for these two sec
tions (city and country separately Take
consumption, for instance, and diseases
of the nervous system. Out of every
100000 of population in cities, 285 per-
sons die of consumption, Out Of every
100, 900 of population in rural districts,
l6O persons die of consumption. In dis
eases of the nervous system the figures
are respectively 255 for the city and $50
for the country. These data givoa very
good general idea Of the increased risk
of living in large cities, and, one would
think, would weigh strongly in the bal
ance against the grcgarious instincts Of
the human race. In reality, probably
very few people are acquainted with
these facts, or, if they are, very few
would be influenced by them in the
choice of home. And, yet when we
take up our abode in great city like
New York, how deliberately we increase
the number of factors which are con-
stantly conspiring to shorten our lives.
We NEARLY uUuD1e our chances OF dying
Of consumption, and increase by 70 per
cent. the likelihood of acquiring some
fatal nervous disorder. 1t would prove
interesting reading if the intricate web
of causes which produce such results
could be unraveled--if to each of the un-
natural causes, whether of poverty or
tenement croWding, alcoholism, dissipa-
ton the excitement Of speculation or
business reyerses, its position of rola-
tive Importance could be assigned, and
the grand result of their combined
action thus taken somewhat out of the
field of theory and imagination. n.-Alfred
Meyer, in Epoch.