The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-04-06
THE SEXES IN OLD AGE.
Facts Cleaned from the Statistics
Of One Year.
Five Women Live to BE Over One Hun
- dred Years Old Where Only One
Man Reaches That Age-Infiu-
ence of Occupation.

The Morning Post of London has tab
ulated all the cases of exceptionally
long life recorded in its obituary coll
umns during 1892. In dealing with
such facts, scientists are always beset
with the difficulty of deciding whether
some apparent conclusion is really
natural law or only an erroneous gem
eralizatioD which would be corrected by
a wider induction. Thus, though the
percentage of those who attained the
age of SO and upward was ouly 81 in
1892 as compared with 1G.G in 1891, 1876
in 1890 and 15.5 in 1882 it would be very
rash to conclude that there was any
general decline of longevity. No doubt
this low figure is an accidental fiuctua-
tion and requires TO be read in the light
of the averages OF long series of years
The octogenariaus recorded in these
tables numbered 1l51, and it is found
that of these sos were males and GAG fe-
males. It appears, also, that at all
ages above 50, with perhaps casual ex-
ception or two, the proportion of long
lived females exceeds that Of lOng-lived
males. Five women exceed the limit
of 100 years as compared with one man
4 ratio SO steadily maintained as this
must possess some significance even
making every deduction for the limited
nature OF the data. We are disposed to
find the explanation, not in any sexual
popularity, but rather in the different
circumstances which characterize the
lives of elderly men and elderly women.
While there are many exceptions, there
can be no doubt that on the whole
women lead easier lives than men.
Their occupations, however harassing
and engrossing, are still in the main
much less iaborious than those Of men,
and, in addition, women ere, as a class,
largely removed from many Of the
grayest perils which shorten the lives
of men in various occupations. The
army, the navy, the mercantile marine
and majority Of the most dangerous
trades employ men only. and 1t may be
said there is hardly any single oecupa-
ton Of exceptional risk which Is carried
on exclusively by women Sick-nursing.
which might be thought TO be an excep-
ton. is, on the whole, when properly
organized, a healthy occupation, the
regularity of life and habit. ne knowI-
edge possessed by the trained nurse and
the high morale required Of her more
than compromising for the risk arising
from frequent contact with infectious
disease. Women. especially when they
are advanced in years, are largely re-
moved from conditions which ituperil
longevity in men. woman over 20
who still works labcriousiy for her liv-
ing is fortunately an exception, where
az most men. even when there = 10
absolute necessity. dislike the idea Of
retirement and inact4on, and work on,
preferring 20 die in harness. The Inau-
ence of sex upon the duration Il and
prospect 81 life Is an interesting subject
upon which wc possess a good dea! of
information AS Is vel! known. The
proportion Of male births definitely ex-
cee5s that Of female births in he pro-
portion of thirty Or forty per thousand
The mortality Of males IL early life ex-
cs,esis that IL female. while ia middle
life the perils Incidental - child bearing
swell the rate q female mortality. IA
advanced y~ars again, as w-e have ssen.
the expectation u life Is decidedly
somewhat better IN the female DF. o.,
In the life table compiled from The nor
talitr returns of I--1-'s3. Shows lhat al
birth the expectation II he = 4is5
years IL the male, as compared vsI-a
44sz n the female A each sscoeesJ-
ing point he iezlale sreraze keeps