Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1894-10-05
The EXPECTATION OF LIFE.


occupations
Life insurance experts and those interest
ed in mortality statistics generally employ
in their business a self explanatory term
known as "the expectation Of life.' UndeT
this heading experience has furnished val
liable tables, by means Of which the pToba-
bility Of the duration Of different lives Is
reduced to practically accurate basis--a
basis rendered doubly reliable by reason OF
the fact that the results are based upon
many independent sets of observations Oh
tanned from widely different sources. The
similarity of the statistics thus obtained is
remarkable.
Charles Stevenson, well known actuary
of Edinburgh, has contributed to the EEK
pectation of life" tables information on this
subject in the shape of a little paper on
THE Effect of Employment on Life and
Health" in which many curious facts are
presented concerning the relation of occupa-
tons to mortality rates.
The largest mortality rate in the indoor
occupations considered is found among
liquor sellers, n fact which explains the re
luctance of life insurance companies to
write insurance on that class Of risks. Mr..
Stevenson finds the average mortality
among 900 liquor sellers to be 800, increas-
u
to l02. 8 from age Of 10 upward He divides
the liquor sellers into three classes-licensed
grocers, Lo,.l keepers and barkeepers-an
shows the spectiye mortality rates to be,
from 25 years Of age upward, 1870, 26.S and
1874 respectively, which shows that the life
risk of the average barkeeper is an exceed
ingly hazardous quantity.
Among 600 gardeners the death rate is
found IN Ina 10 :. n a 10 T. sbOpmuk-
ers, 1874; stonemasons, 1G.s: butchers, IFS,
and innSeepers, 21.4. This agrees precisely
with the information collected by Ameri- |
can life insurance companies, which shows |
the butcher to be a hazardous risk second |
only to the innkeeper and saloon keeper.
The most curious facts resulting from |
this investigation are those concerning the |
death rate among the clergy, class which |
the author has divided into three sections
namely, Church of England clergy, Non
conformist clergy and Roman Catholic
clergy. One thousand cases investigated
in each of these sections shows the death
rate to be lowest in the Church of England
clergy, where the average is 1912, and high
est in the Roman Catholic clergy, where
the average is l57. These figures suggest
an interesting contribution to the study of
celibacy in its relation to the mortality rate.
The value of outdoor exercise, with
abundance of fresh air and clear conscience,
is amply set forth in comprehensive table
the number per 100 of the various
occupations that attain the age of 20 or
more. Again the clergy tops the list, with
~ out of 100 who attain the age of 20, while
the farmers come next with 40 and the
other occupations in the following order:
Commercial len (drummers) 35; military
men, 50; law. prs, 20; artists, rs; teachers,
q, and ply clans, 2i.
The apps ntly anomalous feature of
these iigur,r is that military men, whose
occupation seems 70 be most hazardous
from IA layiaau's point of view, in reality
attain a gl,Jter longevity than their less
warlike brothers of the sciences and arts
This favorable position Of the military man,
considered from life insurance standpoint,
has come to be recognized in recent years
to such an extent that one of the largest
life companies has recently waived all re-
strictions in the matter of military risks,
its experience tables showing the loss of but
one risk during the last three South Amer
lean reyolutions,-NewY York Times.