The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1909-11-19
SOUTH DAKOTA
VERY HEALTHY
Government Statistics Give
State an Excellent Record
For Year.
LOWEST DEATH RATE OF SEVENTEEN STATES
January and March Shown to be
Worst Months of the Year-Low
Percentage of Deaths.

percentage OF Deaths.
South Dakota is healthy state, as
shown by recent bulletin issued by
the census department. The state
is accorded lowest death rate of the
seventeen representative states from
which reports of deaths were obtained
the last year. She also has the low
est death rate due to three primary
causes s-tuberculosis, cancer and sui
eide.
THE RATE IN 1908.
South Dakota reported 4.946 deaths
in 1908. This gives the state the re-
markably low death rate of lO.l for
every 1000 inhabitants. Wisconsin
was the only state to approach this
record with it's death rate 11.6 per
1000. Colorado and California, much
famed as health resorts, had death
rates at II and 1874 per 1000 respect
lively. Other states in the list chosen
by the census bureau to represent the
mortality of the entire country which
also were surpassed by South Dakota
in healthfulness were Conneticutt, In
diana, Maine, Maryland, Massachu-
setts, Michigan, New Hampshire,
New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania,
Rhode Island, Vermont and Washing
ton.
DECREASE IN SUICIDES
Besides showing the lowest death
rate due to suicides, South Dakota
was also the only state in the entire
list to record a decrease in suicides
during the year. In 1907 South Da-
kota had 68 suicides, while last year
the number recorded was 40, a de-
crease from l4.1 to lO.l per 100000 of
the states population. California
topped the suicide column with a
death rate of 45.l per 100000 due to
that cause. Washington state scored
next with a suicide of "a per 100000.
The death rate of the entire registra-
tion area of the seventeen states, due
to suicides, was 1875 per 100000 popu-
lation, again indicating the content
ment of the people Of South Dakota
is far greater than that of those in
many other states.
More deaths in South Dakota were
due to tuberculosis than to any other
one cause, the total fatalities from
this disease in 1908 being 497 for the
state, 429 of which were caused by
tuberculosis of the lungs. But even
this number Of tuberculosis victims,
South Dakota had the lowest death
rate for that disease of the entire reg
istration area. South Dakota's death
rate per 100000 population due to
tuberculosis was 1O2. Colorado had
a death rate of 3O0.7 per 100000 and
California 27l.2 from tuberculosis.
Michigan nearly equaled South Da-
kota's record with tuberculosis death
rate Of 1925 per 100000.
LIVE TO GOOD OLD AGE.
The cancer death rate of South
Dakota last year was 46.2 per 100000
population as compared with 1912 for
California, 95.4 for Maine, 92.2 for
Vermont, and 67.2 for Colorado. South
Dakota deaths due to cancer during
the year numbered 225.
OF the 4,946 deaths registered in
South Dakota during the year 1850
were children under S years of age
The next largest number of deaths in
the state for any S year period was
that of persons between 10 and Il
years of age, which totaled 3O3. This
would seem to indicate that South
Dakotans generally live to good ole
age. Further confederation of thi.
statement is shown by the fact tha
, 1853 of the 1896 deaths (deductiag chill
dren under five years. occurred afte
, the person had passed the 70 yea
J mark. Fifty-two of these had live1
, more than 80 years and 13 came with
in S years of the century mark.
, December seems to be the healthi
! est month of the year in South Da
, kota for the 1926 deaths of that montl
. numbered the least. January wa
. the most fatal of all the months wit
death list of 531. March comm
! second with sos deaths.