Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-02
LENGTH OF OUR LIVES
Views Differ Regarding the Ef-
feet of Civilization.
CLAIMS OF ACTUARiES
Insist on Weakening Effect of Luxury
and Modern Habits.
A STEAMBOAT TRIP In 1917
An Englishman's Visit TO New Haven
and Cambridge - Dinner at the
Home of Ex-President Adams.
A STEAMBOAT TRIP IN 1917
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence Of The Star and the Chicago
Record Herald.

Special Correspondence of The Star and the Chicago
Record Herald.
NEW YORK, February 90 1905.
The actuaries and other officials Of the
big insurance companies here take very
pcssimistic view of the effects of efyfliza-
tlCn upon human life. They contradict the
evidence l recently secured from the cen
sus and sanitary statisticians, and declare
that we do not live as long Is our iatnefs
because we have departed from their SIM
pie life. They admit that the death raRe
has been reduced among children by moo-
err sanitation and medical science, ana the
Intelligent precautions which now preVdil
in large eenters of population, but insist
that luxury, high living and bad habits are
weakening the human race to degree
greater than medical and sanitary science
can counteract one of the actuaries OF
the Equitable company, in answer to
question, said.
TT seems to be generally accepted now
that civilization Is facilitating the human
constitution rather than producing great
er power of resistance to disease, and that
the saving of children otherwise fated 10
die is not exactly an advantage TO nu-
mainly taken collectively. Evidently clViIi-
cation renders the human race less capa-
bic of resistance, but only In smaller ue-
gree than the power of resistance 10 IN
creased by social-hygienic measures Inc
consensus of opinion among insurance act
uaries seems to be that those who live TO-
day in good social circumstances deterlorate
rather than improve as regards mortality,
and that mortality at best remains sta-
tionary.
statistics show that on the whole, wo-
men live longer than men, although the ad-
vantage is not apparent as early as twenty
one years All life insurance companies
charge higher rates for annuities on the
lives of women than for corresponding ages
on the lives of men. showing conciuslvely
that they are expected to and actually DO
live longer than men.
statistics have shown that there has
been a great Improvement in the mortality
Of infants and children in large cities. This
improvement has not been sufficient. how
ever to exert any material influence on the
longevity of people of middle age and ma
ture years. because:
''First-By the survival of the lives less fit
to a period of youth and maturity weak
ened vitality as a whole has been shown In
later years; and,
"Second-The tendency to concentration in
the cities. with the consequent desertion of
the country, has been sufficient to Offset
the advantage gained in saving child life"
Effect of the Simple Life.
ibid the simple life and regular habits Of
our grandfathers offset the artificial protec-
ton that science has provided for us?" l
asked.
"The intense strain. the keen competition.
the high pressure of modern life seem to
offset the advantages which have been made
in science, In the triumphs of surgery, in
the development of sanitation and the In
creased ability to cope with disease. It Is
generally conceded by aetuaries that on the
whole there has been very little improve
ment in longevity.
There seems to have been considerable
decrease In the death rate from phthisis.
That is accounted for to some extent py the
fact that cases formerly diagnosed as such
are now classified as bronchitis and pneu-
monia, as the increase in the death rate
from bronchitis and pneumonia seems to
prove. However. there has been an i'm
provement in the death rate from phthisis;
typhoid fever has shown decrease in some
sections and a slight increase in others
probably on the whole a slight decrease;
liver diseases have decreased slightly in
some sections; paralysis has decreased very
slightly in some sections, but 1t is more
than offset by considerable increase in
others. All other causes of death affecting
principally the lives of adults show In
creases amounting to almost 80 per cent on
the average. From the attainable data it
seems that during the last twenty-five or
thirty years the population of our cities has
showna decreasing death rate from phthisis.
but an increasing death rate from diseases
of the heart, kidneys and lungs, from vio-
lence and from cancer. The mortality of
children from all diseases named--except
measles-has been very greatly diminished"