The San Francisco call., 1903-09-08
A QUESTION OF LIFE.

~ EPORTS from New York concerning the pro-
X ceedings of the International Congress OF Ac-
tuares to the effect that while all dele
gates agreed that the average duration Of hui
life has been increased of late years, there
wide difference of opinion to the manner in which
the added longevity has been obtained. 1t main
tanned by that the general increase in the length
Of life affected all classes Of civilized men, while
others asserted it has affected but the weak-in
other words they maintain that sanitary science has
not increased the vitality OF the strong, but has di
minished mortality among invalids.
The subject is an interesting one and when the
proceedings OF the congress published in full the
debates will doubtless prove to be instructive
The theory that science is conserving the weak
rather than promoting the welfare OF the vigorous
not new one. A good many physicians have argued
that the increase of insanity and of all forms of
vous diseases among civilized people is due almost
wholly to the tendency of the time to maintain alive
weak children who in a less scientific age would not
have survived infancy. The preservation of the
weak. it is argued, enables them to marry and to
transmit their weakened blood to the next genera
ton, that the entire of civilized is be-
coming affected with inherent tendencies to nervous
disorders
1t is not stated in the reports that any OF the dele
gates to the convention went far that for they
doctors having theories of disease, but life
insurance men dealing with statistics. They find that
the whole the average risk is safer than it was
in former times but they agreed that really
strong is any safer risk than of old One
OF the speakers put the Of longevity in this way
THE first reason is the better children receive
in the present day. The dealing of the human race
with the epdemics is vastly better than before and
has improved in the last few years The third cause
is the progress in medical and surgical science We
find that the mortality in particular diseases has de-
creased very greatly in the last forty years These
fuences all alike in this respect, that all repre-
sent not an increase in the vitality of the strong but
dminution Of mortality among the weak"
The issue is upon which it seems no class of
experts is at this time capable of pronouncng defn-
tive judgment All valid conclusions upon it must
pears that as yet have no statistics that can be
safely relied upon. That much brought out dur
ing the congress by the caustc criticism pronounced
upon some governmental statistics Thus a report
of one OF the discussions says: "F. L. Hoffman in
his address said: When we are told by Secretary
! of War that the mortality in Cuba is not more than
that in the city of New York, it does not require
much actuarial knowledge to cause one to smile and
to know that it is nonsense He also declared the
statement that the death of the city of Havana
is no greater than that of Washington to be untrue
For some time to come the death rate of Havana
will be from so to 100 per cent greater than any
Northern city"
Where doctors differ 1aymen will not undertake to
decide. 1t will be perceived that an interesting ques
tion has been raised and that discussion upon it IS
liable to go indefinitely