Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-07
SWEDEN FAR IN THE LEAD
Can Give Average Mortality for $50
Years.
EFFORTS OF CENSUS BUREAU
Action Taken by States
Have Ignored the Advice
Of Statisticians.
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.

Written for The Star and the Chicago Record
Herald
The statistics of foreign countries show
that the effect of modern sanitary reforms
and the advancement of medical science
upon the prolongation of human life has
been quite as marked as In the United
States The vital statistics of European
governments are much more complete and
accurate than those of the United States.
They are more strict in their requirements
for the registration of births and deaths,
and are thus able TO estimate more accu-
rately the depreciation of human lffe,' as
the insurance actuaries call 1t, than we are
in the United States. 1t is impossible to
! ascertain the birth rate In this country; not
even in Chicago New York or Wash
ington or any of our larger cities, but 1t is
accurately reported almost everywhere in
Europe.
The Swedes are the masters of statistics
and they can give you the average NOR
tally of their population for every age for
every year for more than $50 years. Thei.
vital statistics have been kept ever since
1851. And the average death-rate Is given
for decades. This is the only record of
the kind in the world Other countries can
estimate the Improvement for ten, fifteen
or twenty years, but We know that In
Sweden the average mortality OF chill
dren under ten years Of age, for the
ten years previous to 1850. was 53.5
per 1.00o, and it has been decreasing
gradually ever since until 1t Is now only
269 per ! 900, the lowest In the world. The
improvement for a century and a half has
been more than 100 per cent. And during
the last fifty years 1t has been 11.3 per cent.
There has been a corresponding decrease
in the death-rate of all ages during the last
100 years in Sweden. The rate for persons
between ten and twenty years of age has
Ipr,. ,,ol 4 IT,, A
for persons between thirty and forty years
of age 1T has dropped from 11.5 to IL per
LOCO. and for persons between forty and
fifty years of age from 1853 to 9.5. The
death-rate as well as the ratio of fliteracy
of the two countries on the Scandinavian
peninsula is the lowest to be found any
where in the world.
Discovery Of Vaccination.
Mr.. Charlton r. Lewis one of the most
eminent actuaries in the United States.
says that sober historians have declared
that the simple discovery of vaccination
and its general application have added two
years to the average life of man In Europe
While Mr. Lewis does not accept this prop
osition, he says: 1T may be confidently af-
firmed that practical stoppage of the raw
ages of great epiGemics and the better
treatment introduced by modern medical
science and surgery have done very much
to reduce mortality. The treatment of the
sick at home and in hospitals, and the In
PRODUCTION of anaesthetic surgery alone
have saved vast number of lives, and the
pTophylactic and therapeutic methods which
are daily finding new application to various
forms of germ diseases have brought about
a substantial increase in the number of
those who are saved under attacks which
formerly have been fatal. AS far as the
statistics go we shall find that they point
to a progressive increase in the value of the
expeeta ton OF life at all ages below fifty
ha Cnrlo-
rately, at a considerably higher age in the
case of women Infant life is protected in
all civilized countries to an extent which
was quite unknown few generations ago,
and the progress of knowledge in the treat
ment in diseases of children has had a re-
markab!e effect"
In Holland the figures show decided
Increase in the prolongation of human life.
The average life of men has been increased
from thirty-fve to fifty-seven years, and
for women, from thirty nine to sixty-one
years, and the lowest death rate among
women is from twenty to thirty-f1ve years
OF age, period during which So per cent of
children are born.
In Great Britain and Ireland there has
been an Improvement of about per cent.
according TO the tables of the institute of
actuaries. which have been kept for thirty
years.
In Germany the statisticians complain
that their calculations have been disturbed
by the large emigration of young men and
women between fifteen and forty years or
age, thus leaving an undue proportion OF
the very young and the very old. which are
naturally the most susceptible to disease.
But the figures show that the average dura-
ton of life in the German empire Is con-
siderably greater than 1t was thirty years
ago.
In Hungary. municipal statistics for
Budapesth and several other cities are
available, which show a decrease of 80 per
cent in the averag2 death rate particularly
among children.
In France the best authorities report that
the average duration of life has Increased
from to 10 per cent during the last TWEEN
ty-flve years.
Latest Municipal Statistics.
Unfortunately. as / have remarked, there
is no way of ascertaining the birth rate
among the people of the United States with
any accuracy, although 1t is scrupulousiy
kept in the cities of Europe. The latest
returns for births and deaths are as fol-
lows:
Ratio per 900 Population
Births. Deaths. |
Christiania Observation-Disclosures. 2S.6 1875