The Washington herald., 1912-04-28

| From the earliest recorded time wom-
en- have been spoken Of as the weaker
| sex. as frail, delicate creatures. Emil
| nent writer's have asserted that aside
from their natural constitutional frailty
women were invalids one-ifth of the
/ time. Yet the dawn OF the twentieth
century finds US with abundant proof
OF woman's physical superiority over
man when. tested by length of years,
the power TO endure suffering and re-
sist disease.
In 1890 the United States census
showed that there were at that time
1851 centenarians in the country. of
men. Out Of eighty-nine centenarians
who died in England during the year
1888 seyenty-nine were women and ten
wers men, while out Of twenty-one CEN
tenarfans who died in Scotland in
1896 sixteen were women and five were
men.
During the year 1910 took clippings
from newspapers and periodicals OF
twenty-three centenarians who were
then living or who died during that year.
OF these seventeen were women and
six were men.
The mystery of this tenacity Of life
At birth boys are slightly larger, both
in height and weight, and continue in
the lead until twelve: then the girls pass
them. both in height and weight, for
about two years. when the boys again
take the lead, and complete their growth
at about twenty-three or twenty-four,
while girls complete their growth at
nineteen or twenty. with this brief ex-
ception males excel in height and weight
throughout life.
Vital Capacity.
Physical strength and vital capacity.
as tested by lifting weights and breath
ing air into a spirometer, are at all ages
greater in males than in females. II
either height or weight, physical vigor
or vital capacity therefore be taken as
an Indication of superiority. We have lit
tie evidence for the unquestioned tenac-
fly Of life and power of resisting dis
ease in women.
Nevertheless when We turn TO natality
and morality statistics we find the
strange condition of an excess of males
In the youngest population, especially at
birth, and an excess Of females in the
older population. especially in extreme
old age.
BY taking the average birth rate OF
thJrty-two small European countries and
a few OF our own States, we find that for
every 100 girls born there are slightly
more than los boys born. In some coun-
tries the difference is as great as 10 boys
to every 100 girls.
After the third year there does not ap-
pear to be any special difference in the
mortality of the sexes until after thirty
or thirty-fve, when the ratio turns in
favor Of women. and continues in their
appears to be but little difference until
eighty-five. after which the difference is
more marked the further we go toward
extreme old age.
This tenacity OF life in females is seen
in all the zymotic diseases, especially in
those diseases which chieny afrect chill
dren. whooping cough and diphtheria
only appear 70 be more fatal in females
than in males. Whether correctly or
not, this has been attributed to tho
smaller size Of the throat in females.
study of Disease.
During childhood there appears to be
a little difference in the susceptibility to
or fatality of either cholera, smallpox,
or influenza in the sexes, yet. while adult
females appear to be more susceptible
to all, especially the first two. all are
believed to be more fatal in adult males.
Except hillary calcium, cancer is the
only disease common to both sexes from
which adult females sufrer more than do
adult males, but the rate OF increase of
cancer is now much greater in men than
in women.
Women appear to sufter more from
emotional and maniacal insanity and re-
cover oftener than men. while men sufIer |
more from serious brain LESSONS and
from paralysis OF the insane, ana as
oner less hope or recovery. |
The special susceptibility OF woman
that renders her more liable TO attacks
OF hysteria. neurasthenia, emotional
appears TO serve as a distinct advantage. |
This afectaDility appears 20 act some
what as barrier against attacks or the
more fatal forms OF mental afrecuons
So too Woman's we'll known tandency