The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1910-09-30
LOWEST DEATH RATE ON RECORD
Only IS Deaths Per 1000 Population
in the Census Bureaus Regis
tration Area in 1909.

Washington, D. c., Sept. 23.-The
. death rate in the death registration
cities and states Of the United States
dropped to Is per thousand of pro-
visionally estimated population last
year, according TO the forthcoming
| United States census bureaus bulle-
| tin on mortality statistics for 1909.
which has been submitted to Director
Durand by DR.. Cressy L. Wilbur, chief
lstatistician for vital statistics.
In 1903 the death rate in the CEN
sus bureaus registration area was
15.4 per thousand and in the bureaus
annual report for that year, issued
last spring, it was stated that it is evi-
dent an era OF low mortality has be-
gun.
The death rate for 1909 is, the bulle-
tin states, lower than that for any
previous year Of registration and prob
ably is the lowest that ever occurred
in the history Of the United States.
1t is stated that the mortality was
distributed with more than ordinary
uniformity throughout the year 1909
and no epidemics of other than a very
local extent were found to have oc-
Cured.
1t is fact Of much interest. the
bulletin states, as showing the gen
.eraI prevalence in 1909 of extremely
favorable conditions for human life.
that the death rate of England and
Wales for that year was AS per thou
sand, which was also the lowest on
record for that country. while the rate
Of IA for the city of London was even
lower and demonstrates the fallecy of
the belief that high death rates are
necessarily found in large cities.
The total Lumber Of deaths return
ed from the registration area for 1909
was 1888, an increase of 40.964
over the number 691, ,574, returned for
1908.
OF the total number in 1909 there
were 39s,597 deaths, or 54.4 per cent.
among males, as compared with 543
in 1908.
The largest number of deaths re.
turned for any month in 1909 was
7o093 for March. With the great ma.
iority Of the registration states and
cities 1t is the month having the
argest number of deaths. while June
s the month of lowest mortality.
The Professionally estimated aggre-
gate population of the registration
'rea Of the United States in 1909 is
t8,776,893 or 55.3 per cent of the total
estimated population of continental
United States.
The official death registration area I
composed Of those states and cities :
Which require the registration Of
eath before the issuance of a burial :
'ermit and which have complied with !
'ther requirements imposed bv tho
ensus bureau as conditions precedent Y
o inclusion in this area whose death r
eturns are annually collected tabn.
ited' analyzed, and presented in bul. +
stin and report form by the census +
ureau. In 1909 the death registra-
on area included the following
tates:
California, Colorado. Connection )
ldiana, Maine, Maryland Massacbu. ,
etts, Michigan, New Hampshire New r
ersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania =,
node Island, South Dakota, Vermont +,
'ashington, and Wisconsin =,
In addition to these. returns ot =;
eaths were received from "a citioo o.
non registration states. in which =,
-e registration under local ordinance y,
considered satisfactory. The DIS. -
let Of Columbia, which is cotermin. ii
IS with the city Of Washington i i
y included in the list Of separate Ie
gistration cities For most purnosoo =,
is treated as a city, but in the tab1o -
owing groups of registration states nc
e District of Columbia is included ~
a state area. -