Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-04-06
THE MARRYING AGE.
EFFECT OF MARRIAGE ON THE DEATH
RATE OF INFANCY.

vantage = Herr Korosi Has Deduced
Some Interesting Figures.
The mortality of young children is yearly
decreasing. The decrease is ascribed to
various causes. Some say that it is due to
progressive improvement in the human
race. Others attribute it to an increase of
proper precaution in the care Of the young
Still others contend that the cause of fewer
deaths among children is to be found in no
longer permitting them to eat unsuitable
food and to wear unsuitable clothing.
Few infer from the present rate of NOR
tality that the marriages of parents have
been made at more proper ages. Yet in
restigation by scientific men has proved
that If hereditary diseases be excepted
there is nothing so dangerous to the life of
child as the marriage of its father and
mother at certain ages.
1t is only recently that any inquiry.into
this subject has been undertaken But the
results which have thus far been obtained
are such rs to show THAT men and women
must marry at particular stages of Their
lives If their offspring is to be mentally
and physically sound
1t is to Herr Korosi, the head of the sta
tistical department at Buda-Pesth and al
ready well known for the Importance and
accuracy of the conclusions he has arrived
at from statistical inquiries in other fields,
that we are indebted for the discovery of
this new factor in determining the welfare
of the human race. The results which he OBJ
tanned from a casual examination some 10
years ago of the relations existing between
the mortality of children and the various
ages at which their parents were married
were so striking that they induced him to
make more exhaustive investigation.
For the past 10 years, therefore, DR.. Korosi
has been careful TO ascertain, whenever the
death of child was registered, the ages of
its father and mother, well as that of the
child and the cause of its death. He has
noted in all &c, S13 separate cases, which, in
making his deductions he divides into two
distinct classes, the deaths caused by hered;-
tary diseases and the deaths caused by dis
eases which were contracted after birth
The former class is manifestly of the great
est Importance for his purpose.
AS the condition of the mother is evident
ly more instrumental than that of the ia
Their in its effect upon the child Herr Korosi
has compiled his first table on the results
gained from observations of the mothers
age merely.
The statistics in this instance are:
Age of Mothers. Percentage of Deaths
Under 20 years. ..-....-.................2 231
~ TO % years OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. l2S5
over % years. b. 10
Deaths resulting from tuberculosis were
eliminated from these calculations
From this table 1T is evident that the
most desirable age as far as the health of
her children is concerned, for woman to
marry is between the ages of 80 and 35, the
mortality of children resulting from mar
riages at that age being but IL. 35 per cent.
1t also appears that a woman should marry
when she is more than SIS years old rather
than when she is between 90 and 80 years of
age.
Mothers under 90 years of age are accord
ing to statistics. moro liable to bear sickly
children than at any subsequent period in
their life
The mortality of children by women in
their teens is nearly double that of those
whose mothers were married between 80
and 35 years
Concerning deaths due to tuberculosis
and atrophy, the statistician finds that
twice many deaths result from conSump-
ton and three times many deaths from
atrophy when the mothers are under 20 as
when they are over the age of 90.
Herr Korosi also recognizes that the
physical and mental condition of a father
leaves. to the same extent, its impress on
his children. He has accordingly prepared a
table of greater length showing the results
of the ''age combination" of both parents.
Men are slower in developing than women;
hence the relative difference between their
ages in the table:
Percentage of