The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-04-17
WHAT SCIENCE HAS DONE
Manhatten Island Could Sustain Only Two
Persons in Savage Life.

Persons IN Savage Lie.
A comparison, by the writer, of twenty
five typical pastoral populations, the world
over, gives an average of 140 souls to each
tract of twenty square miles. The mean
capita to twenty square miles of seven
representative communities engaged in
farming and in primitive handicrafts is
1920. And of six of the most advanced
communities engaged in diversified indus
tries is 6,000. The Royal Geographical So
ciety, of England at meeting held in the
month of January, 1891, estimated the
worlds then Inhabitants at ], 4S7 GOO, 600,
about thirty one persons to each square
mile of available land area. That is to say,
to support the worlds present population
| in the savage condition would require the
superficial area of the planet Saturn.
From this authoritative estimate we
reach the momentous conclusion that, not
withstanding the immense regions still
overrun by sayagery, tne population of our
! globe is already $40 fold what would be pos
| siDle at grade of civilization no lower than
that OF the American Indian IL further
appears that the reduction to savage con-
dition of civilized community of 10000
persons would imply the sweeping out of
existence of all save single family Of five
individuals; and that an area equal to that
of Manhattan, Staten and Long Islands to-
Reluer WOuIu uOO OIulndrIly suppOTb nOrS
than seventy savages, and Of these the
area Of Manhattan island could sustain only
two.
But mere increase of population would
be of little benefit were it not the token OF
q gradual amelioration and a correlative
prolongation of life itself. OF this amel-
loraticn and prolongation the statistics in
every civilized county bear witness. Thus
the average annual death rate in New
York city, which for the decade ending A.
d. 1860 was reported at 1886 per 900,
hat in the semidecade ending 1865 dropped
to 81 33, and to "a in the semi-decade end
ing 1890, the rate in 1890 being but "a. 81
This improvement of so per 1000 in
: twenty-five years represents saving in
the one city mentioned OF about 1900 lives
yearly These results are due in part tt
the great advance in medical and surgica
, science and appliances, in part to improved
: plumbing, draining, paving and other by
gienic inven tons.
If we allow fatal termination to one il
every thirty attacks sufficiently serious Il
5 call in the aid OF physician, il would ap
pear that 90 600 New Workers annually ar
3 exempted from sickness to which the,
: would have been exposed but quarter D
l a century ago. Without mentioning tn
9 avoidance of bodily discomfort, this exemp
e ton probably represents clear cash savin
/; of SO. 200, GOO annually. For all France To
mortality in III was 81; by the year $50
. it had dropped to 81; in 1888 to %. i
I Geneva, Switzerland, the decrease wa
i from 40 in the Sixteenth century to 90 i
the wear 1900. Statistics show the averag
g life in Great Britain nine years longer tina
d it was fifty years ago. In Italy the annus
n mortality has decreased from 3006 in 1876
d to 25.6 in 1901.
n Compared with the squalor Of savage Lii