The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-05-01

DEATH" This book contains no
mcraiiz.ng ard no theoriss: Il DOES not
teach yoi how TO de. nor advise you how
10 1--we. Il sticks closely TO its business OF
presenting facts OF showing You how pso-
pie have been dying in London and Eng
land OF recent years-to BE- more precise.
in the years issa. 1881 and lSe- Peshap4
never since man began TO compile NOR
tally statistics. was such 4 mass 0f in-
formation about dying brought together
between covers Much of IL is hard read
ing. for there are tables without end and
pages OF percentage worked out neatly 70
the third decima, p.acs: but IL you dig
through this unaitractiye husk. you come
to kernel of real things. plain conciu-
sions that are OF the utmost consequence,
matters, In short. of life and death m
pertanee TO us all.
In this book the dead are classified ac-
eording 10 ages. occupations, diseases. dis
triets. etc. until there is not the poorest
cl mnay-swesp nor iofsiest ca ainet min
lister who may no, find, il he looks carr
fully some precise statement as 20 nov
and why and when he is apt to die. Ana
!: is easy TO see that these. death discov
erias made In London and England must
apply liz the NAN TO other capitals and
other countries. where similar conditions
exist. 1t Is likely. for instance, that peo-
pie are dying today in New York very
much as they died here in London seven
years age Sf}CsLu iEut cfult W Stdto
that all conclusions in these pages are
based upon the deaths of men. for II ap-
pears that women make trouble even IN
mortality statistics.
Regular Occupation LenGthens Life.
One of the first tables shows that men
who have regular occupation may face
death more serenely than those who have
none. This is especially true between the
ages OF 70 and IS. when the death rate for
I'D t.s,ss is ~t~r
times greater than for those with oecupa-
ton, six times greater at ~, and three
times greater at 80. Ii must be borne In
mind however, that among the unoccu-
pied are included not only persons retired
from business, or living on private means
bat lunatics and prisoners The tables
show that this excessive death rate among
the unoceupied.is due mainly To diseases Of
The nervous system and to phthixis, the !
death rates from the former peing seven
times and from the latter neariy three
times higher than for men with occupa-
tcB.
We next are shown the advantage of liv-
ing in agricultural districts away from
large cities. Comparing the death rate Of
occupied males twh0m We shall consid-
or exclusively from this point on). we find
that the mortality IN London, taking the
period in life fresn p TO e., is % per cent.
above the average, while ia the agricultural
districts it is y per cent below the aver
age. And st.il Tess favorable is the lot
OF those who live in the industrial ne
g.ons, the great manufacturing centers
like Sheffield and Birmingham. since for
them the death rate rises to 81 per cent.
above the average. The chief causes OF
these higher death rates, both in London
and in the industrial districts. are phthis;s
and diseases of the respiratory system
1t Is worthy OF note that N LoVdon three
ne la.t y, n. -.
in either the agricultural or industrial dis
tricts. And the mortality from alcoholism
in the agricultural districts is only about
one-third OF what it is In the otter two.
Enginnd's Five Leading Diseases.
Statistics are given OF "a diseases or
causes OF death, and five of these, viz:
phshisis. diseases of the nervous system
diseases or the circulatory system, bronr
chltis and pneumonia. cause more than
half Of the entire mortality. Cancer kills
more than influenza, while suicide is d.
rectly responsible for more deaths than
alcoholism. Il Is however, expressly
pointed out that alcoholism contributes to
many deaths that ars put down TO other
causes. I'm certifying the cause of death
or irebriates it is the habit of some med
Teal men to state only the pathological
condition or the organ or organs chiefly
affected. The experience OF this Office
shows that cirrosis OF the liver for in
stance 1.-THE liver is the organ which more
than any other Is affected prejud.cialy by
intemperance), is frequently returned as
the sole cause of death In such c.rcan,-
stances, the fact that abuse of alcohol
had induced the cirrosis, or other morbid
condition. being omitted from the certi-
ncate. There is a special table given for
alcoholism. showing comparative mortality
figures. and social philosophers Will shake
their heads wisely when they see, at the
very head of the list. the keepers Of inns
and hotels, their servants and the whole
tribe OF brewers and iis..fers Men of
these classes, that is. the dispensers of al.
cohoi, dis OF Its effects from three 10 ten
times faster than the average of ''eccu-
ped males" three tiYnes faster for the
brewer, 10 times faster for the London ho-
tel servant On the other hand the NOR
tally from alcoholism among agricultural
laborers. railway men. iron and tin and
coal miners, clergynlen. fishermen ard
others is far below the average. only one
third or one-fourth Of Il. while in the case
Of soap manufacturers, lead workers, cop
per miners and carpet manufacturers no
deaths whatever ara recorded from aico-
holism. II would be of interest 10 know
II there is some subtle relation between
soap making and total abstinence.
Puzzles In Suicide.
found the suicide statistics full OF
similar unexpiainabl conclusions. Why,
fer instance, should zinc workers be nve
mes as ready TO Kill themselves as or
binary occupied malss" whereas watch
makers are only twice ready. copper
workers only oue-third ready. while ho-
tel servants in the industrial districts.
COPPER miners and tin miners apparently
never kill themselves at all? The normal
average requires that there be bat one
suicide in every 100 deaths. bu, innkeepers,
teach ~rs. s4rt.sis, musicians. hair drsssers
ard commercial travellers kin themselves
much ofteuer than this. while bo.iermak-
ers. hricklayers, clergyman and coal min
ers keep their seif-deStruction well below
the average. FaFmerz gardeners. etc, IN
the matter OF suicide are above the aver
age. while their servants are below Il.
Physicians kill themselves three times as
often as ordinary men, and in that Diff
cut period OF their lives between the ages
Of y and - their mortality from suicide IS
even greater. publishers are sinsalarsy
frec from A tendency 20 suicide
Coming 10 the table Of phthisis. which
Kills more people every year than any
other disease, it = seen that the greatest
sufferers here. a $ was the ease with aIc4e-