Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-23
CAUSES OF LONGEVITY.
Ratio of Centenarians to Population
In Various Countries.

From the Baltimore American
Interesting deductions as To tho affect
that progress and climatic influences
nave upon the duration of life may be
MADE from the figures recently publisher
by European statistician who has taken
the trouble to look up the proportion of
centenarians to the populations Of a num-
Der OF European countries. Germany for
instance. with a population of $1,000 900
when the investigation was made could
poast or only SO centenarians. about
one to every 100000 Inhabitants. In Eng
land. on the other hand. the ratio was
one to 10000; in Denmark. one to 25p-
Ooo; In Belgium, one to 1 ,3J0, 900 while n
sweden 1t was one to 100000; in Spain.
one 10 foo.coJ: in France, one to lao 900;
In Norway and Scotland one to 100000.
In southeastern Europe the ratio was
much higher. reaching the high-water
mark in Bulgaria of one to every 1000
persons, while in Servia there was one
centenarian to every $500 inhabitants,
and in Rumania one out of every 5000
had passed the century mark.
The remarkable contrast between the
east and the west which these figures
show, and particularly between those
countries In which the industrial and
commercial activity, characteristic of the
countries OF western Europe, gives place
to agricultural pursuits, indicates what
important factors these occupations are
in the problem. The other factor of eli
ildlc anu Will IL the more ltlSurelN lie
which residence in southern sections en-
forces, would seem to play a less i'm
portant part than occupation, though the
question of diet must be consi Tered. and
since the balance is SO strongly on the
side of the grain-eating, oil-consuming
neighbors of the east the case is espe-
cially strong for the vegetarian.
In view of all of these considerations 1.
is particularly interesting to glance at
the figures for the United States which
are indicative of the high ratio here as
tries. According to the census returns Of
1850, when the population numbered 3d.
100000, there were 1850 centenarians on
the list or in the ratio of one to 300
inhabitants. Ten years later the ratio
had decreased to one to 1860, and
twenty years later to one to 10000 while
in 1890 1t was about one to 1900, and in
1900, when the population had increased
to 76,303,3S1, the ratio had decreased to
one centenarian to every u 500 persons.
While the number has steadily decreased
as the commercial and Industrial ac-
tivity has as steadily increased, the ratio
is. nevertheless, so much higher than
that of European countries of the same
class that 1t becomes very evident that
some other reasons must be assigned for
1t than are operative in the Older nations
on the other side of the Atlantic.
The large percentage of women In the
lists of American centenarians, in every
instance far exceeding that of men. gives
rise to the query If this may not be the
basis of the especially high ratio of the
American lists.
The greater freedom enjoyed by the
women of this country the more health
full conditions under which their work is
done and the better sanitation of their
homes may reasonably be regarded
conducive to greater longevity than the
conditions under which the great masses
of women, particularly the peasantry and
wage earning classes abroad, live and
move and struggle for existence. 1t is
significant that the ratio in this country
was at it's height during the years when
women were occupied almost exclusively
with those undertakings that were car
ried on in the home: that the decrease
came with the development of industrial
activity throughout the country and the
employment of large numbers of women
and young girls in factories and manu-
featuring concerns.