The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1906-07-06
THE DEATH RATE.
More People Die from Consump'
ton Than From
ANY OTHER DISEASE.
Pneumonia Comes Next In tie United

Pneumonia Comes Next In tie United
States, but Heart Disease Is
| Steadily on the Increase. The
Census Report Covers
Plve Years.
The bureau of the census has just
published report presenting mortal.
tty 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 ompilation of statis-
tics OF mortality was authorized by
the aot OF Congress establishing the
permanent census office. The statis
tios, however, do not cover the entire
country, but, In accordance with the
provisions Of this act, are restricted
to what III termed the "registration
area" This area comprises those
States and cities which have laws re-
quiIing the regis ration Of death and
possess records affordirg satisfactory
and comparable data. In 1904 1t in.
cluding IL States and 334 cities which
had at least 5000 population in 1900
The IL registration States are CON
neoticut, DISTRICT Of Columbia, In.
diana, M Aine, Massachusetts, Miohi
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
IL registration States, q considerable
number which are In non-registration
State.
these States and cities, composing
the registration area, included III 1904
q population OF 80 900 $50, or only a
trifie moro than two. .fifths Of the esti
mated population Of the United States
For the remainder Of the United
States we have at present no mortali.
ty statistics which are sufficiently re.
liable and complete to be included In
this report. The registration area,
however, Is gradually increasing in OK.
tent, as the psrious States and cities
como to realize the irnportance Of hay,
4 anH esfleQ aSe ig t1st olt Is s8 aud of
effectively enforcing them.
The number OF deaths reported In
the registration area In 1900 was $50, :
939, and the death rate per 900 OF
population was lie In 1901 the rate
declined to 18 and In 1902 the rate
declined to l8. The rate increased In
| 1908 to 16 2 and In 1904 to l6 7. The
average annual rate for the five years
was 16. 6 per l 900.
The average annual death rate In
| the registration States was 17.8 per
| 1000 In the cities Of 5000 or more
population In 1900 and IA. 3 per /, 600
IN rural districts, which as the term
is here used, includes rything out
side these cities. Rhode Island is the
only registration State in which the
rate was al high In the rural districts
as In the oities. But In Massachusetts,
Connecticut and New Hampshire the
urban rate exceeded the rural by less
than l per 600. The excess was
greatest in New Jersey, New York
and Maine.
| AhO blRu UdllUy lOI Id
due largely to the fact that residents
OF rural districts when CRITICALLY Ill 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 jncreas.
Ing the urban mortality.
The average annual rates were low
est In ST. Joseph, Mo. (7.6); OWosso,
Mich, GOD; Lincoln, Neb., 900;
and st. Paul, MIMI, UO.5), and high
est In Charleston, S. O., (31.3); vii.
mington, N O., (28.2); and Jackson.
Vile, Fla, (28 ~.
There were 44 cities In which the
average annual death rate for the five
years was 20 or more per 1000. Nine.
teen of these cities are located in the
Southern Stats and contain q larg
proportion OF cOlored population, the
death rate for which In general large.
ly exceeds that for the whites.
Tuberculosis OF the lungs and pneu.
monia were bv far the leading ca DEB
Of death.
Tho average annual mortality from
tubel culosis Of the lungs or consump
tiCh, 1900 to 1904, was 1926 per 100,
600 OF population. 1t Is gratifying to
DOte that tho rate has shown mark
ed decline since 1890, when 1t was
2a6 4. This indicates that the war
fare against the white plague is meet
ing with success. The mortallt,a a rom
this disease In the registration q Ga in
the United States is lower than 1t ia
In Ireland, Germany, Norway, Spain
and Switzerland, but higher than In
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 tC
that locality in the later stages of the
disease hoping to be benefited by the
favorable climatic conditions. Exclud.
Ing Denver, the rates were highest In
New Orleans, San Francisco, Wash
ington, Newark, jersey City, Balti
moro and Cincinnati; and lowest ir
ST. Joseph, Mo-, Scranton. Omaha
Detroit, ST. Paul, Buffalo and Min
ueapJlis.
Pneumonia was second among tht
principal causes Of death, tho average
annual rate being 1874 8 per 100, ,0Ot
population. The death rate from thi
disease la the registration area of th'
United States iB considerably create
, than In England and Wales and Scot
: land