The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1906-07-05
More People Die from consump'
ton Than From
ANY OTHER DISEASE.
Pneumonia Comes Next In the United
States, but Heart Disease ls
Steadily on the Increase. The
Census Report Covers
Five Years.
Five Years..

The bureau of the csnsuS has just
published o report presenting mortal
iuy statistics for the United States
for the five calendar years 1900 to
1904. This report was prepared under
the supervision of the late William A.
King, chief statiStician for vital stat
istics.
The annual compilation Of Statis-
tics of mortality was authorized by
the act Of Congress establishing the
permanent CENSUS Office. The statis-
tics, however, do not cover the entire
country, but, in accordance with the
provisions of this act, are restricted
to what IL termed the Registration
area" This area comprises those
States and cities which have laws re-.
curing the registration OF death and
possess records affjrding satisfactory
and comparable data. In 1904 it in
Guiding IL States and 334 cities which
had at least 5000 population in 1900.
The II registration States are Con-
necticut, District of Columbia, In.
diana, MAine, Massachusetts, Micni.
gan, New Hampshire, New jersey,
New York. Rhode Island, and Yer
mont; the 334. registration cities in
clude, In addition to the cities In the
ii registration States, a considerable
number which are In non-registration
State.
These States and cities, composing
the registration area, included in 1904
q population of 80, ,e96, $50, or only q
tri1e more than two. fftbs of the esti-
mated population of the United States
For the remainder Of the United
States we have at present no mortsli'
ty statistics which are sufficiently re-.
liable snG complete to be included In
this report. The registration area,
however, Is gradually increasing in e1.
tent, as the various States and cities
come to realizs the Importance Of hav.
ing adequate registration laws and of
effectively enforcing them.
The number of deaths reported In
the registration area in 1900 was $780,
939, and the death rate per 1000 OF
population was l7.6. In 1901 the rate
declined to 16 6 and in 1902 the rate
declined to l6. The rate increased in
1908 to 1872 and In. 1904 to 1871. The
average annual rate for the five years
was l6. 6 per 1000.
The average annual death rate In
the registration States was 17.S pei
l 600 In the cities of 5000 or more
population in 1900 and 14.3 per l,00C
In rural districts, which as the term
Is here used, includes everything out
side these cities. Rhode Island is the
only registration State In which the
rate was as high in the rural districts
as In the cities. But In Massachusetts
Connecticut and New Hampshire the
urban rate exceeded the rural by less
than / per 1000. The excess was
greatest in New Jersey, New Yorb
and Maine.
The higher mortality for cities is
due largely to the fact that residents
OF rural districts when CRITICALLY i'll re-
sort to the hospitals and institutions
In the cities for treatment, and that
the deaths occurring in such cases are
registered in the cities, thus increas
ing the urban mortality.
The average annual rates were low.
est in ST. Joseph, Mo. (7.6); OWosso,
Mich, Qo.1); Lincoln, NIB, (l0.D;
and St Paul, Mlnn., 10.5), and high
est in Charleston, S. O., (3l.3); Viii.
naington, N c., (2s.2); and Jackson
vile, Fla, ESD.
There were Al cities In which the
average annual death rate for the five
years was 20 or more per l. .O00 Nine.
teen of these cities are located III the
Southern Stats and contain a larg5
proportion OF colored population, the
death rate for which in general large
ly excsedS that for the whites.
tuberculosis Of the lungs and pneu'
monia were b4 far the leaoing causes
Of death.
The average annual mortality from
tuberculosis Of the lungs or consump
tion, 1900 to 1904, WAS l72 per 100,
900 Of population. 1t Is gratifying to
Dote that tho rate has shown mark
ed decline since 1890, when it was
2454. This indicates that the war
fare against the white plague Is meet
ing with success. The mortality rom
this disease In the registration Ga In
the United States Is lover than 1t is
In Ireland, Germany, Norway, Spain
and Switzerland, but higher than iu
England and Wales, Scotland, the
Netherlans, Belgium and Italy.
The average annual mortality from
consumption was higher In Denver
than in any other registration city.
This fact is easily explained by the
deaths of non. residents who resort to
that locality 10 the later stages Of the
disease hoping to be benefited by the
favorable climatic conditions. Exclud-
ing Denver, the rates we're highest IN
Nsw Orleans, San Francisco, Wash
ington, Newark, jersey City, Balti
more and Cincinnati; and lowest In
ST. Joseph, Mo-, Strauton, Omaha,
Detroit, St. Paul, Buffalo and MIN.
neapolis.
! L.