The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1909-10-28
AN ERA Of LOW
MORTALITY
1T HAS BEEN REACHED BY THE
CIVILIZED WORLD ACCORD
ING TO THE GOVERNMENT
CENSUS BUREAU.

civilized world mas lnOeeO arrived aL
an era of low mortality
This conclusion is stated in Census
Bureau Bulletin 104, on mortality
statistics for 1908, prepared by DR..
Cressy l.. Wilbur, chief statistician
for vital statistics under Director Du-
rand who has transmitted it to Sec
rotary Nagel of the department Of
commerce and labor.
The death rate of the registration
states in 1908 was 1873 per 1000 Of
population which was slightly lower
than that for the entire registration
area, 15.4 per 1000, and it is the
lowest on record. DR.. Wilbur states
it is probably the lowest death rate
that has ever occurred in the United
States.
The death rate of the rural por-
tons of these states was still lower,
being only IA per 1000, while that
of the urban population was 1873 per
! 900; the latter Including cities of
population of 5000 or more in
habitants in 1900, and being, as US
ual, somewhat greater than the rural
rate. Such rates would have seemed
quite out of the question a few years
ago
The death rate of England and
Wales for 1908 was only 14.7 per
1000 of population. and of London
for the same year, 1873 per 1000.
For each year since 1898 the death
rate of England and Wales has been
less than 16 per thousand, with the
exception of the year 1904 for which
year it was 1872 per 1000, while no
rate as low has been recorded for
any previous year of registration.
The early publication of the data
relating to the mortality of the year
! 1908 for the registration area of the
! United States was only made possible
/ by the increased promptness of the
/
ficers, most of which now make
monthly reports.
The registration area embraces the
registration states and separate regis
! tration cities in nOn-registration
states accepted by the census bureau
as having approximately complete
registrations of deaths based upon
the requirement of compulsory burial
! permits For the year 1908, the reg
istratiOn states were: California
/ Colorado. Connecticut, Indiana,
Maine, Maryland Massachusetts.
Michigan, New Hampshire, New
Jersey, New York. Pennsylvania.
Rhode Island, South Dakota, Yer
mont, Washington and Wisconsin
The District of Columbia and IA
registration cities in non-registration
states, together with the registration
states mentioned, made up the aggre-
gate registration area for 1908,
whose total estimated population for
the year was 45,O2S.767 or over one
! half (51.S per cent? of the total esti-
mated population of the continental
United States, which was 86,S74,99O.
The addition of Ohio for the year
1909 has still further increased the
percentage Of the population report
ing to $50 per cent, and other areas
may be included for the calendar
year 1910, for which direct compari-
SONS of the mortality statistics can
be made with the population enumer-
ated by the thirteenth census
The total number of deaths re-
turned for the year 1908 from the
aggregate registration area was 691,-
574. For the preceding year the
number of deaths was 6S7,034, or
only 4,540 less than the 1908 re-
turns, although the registration area
for 1908 was increased by Washing
ton and Wisconsin. The year 1908
was one of remarkably low mortality
throughout the United States so far
as can be determined from the avail
able registration records and was
marked by a general absence of Sc
we're epidemics and of unusual NOR
tally from other causes
Females contributed slightly lar
ger proportion of the deaths in 1908
than they did in 1907, but the &C
tual number of deaths of males reg
istered for 1908 was less than for
1907. The percentage Of males was
54.3 and of females 45.7. The fig
ures for age periods show some
what increased per cent of deaths of
infants under one year for 1908 but
the ratios for each of the individual
years from 1 to 4 are identical for
1907 and 1908. A close agreement |
appears in the subsequent five year
periods, although there was slight
ly more favorable showing for 1908
for the age periods from Is to 40
years.
Nearly one-fifth of all the deaths |
that occurred were those of infants
under one year of age and over one
fourth are of children less than five