The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-12-11

Over-eating and "under-eating" were
among some Of the many reasons indi-
Gated for premature death among the
two milliO- DOlicyhoIders whose rec
Ords were placed in the investigation.
which has just been finished.
Emphasis was placed on the fact that
all the lives involved in the investiga-
ton had been carefully examined by
competent physicians, and that, in gen.
eral, the more hazardous the occupa-
ton, or the greater the defect in physi-
cal condition, in family history. or in
personal history. the more care was
taken in selecting the lives.
eff the government of Russia carries
out its present intention to abolish per-
! manently all forms of alcoholic bever-
ages, the saving in human life will be
enormous" said Doctor Hunter, In
illustrating these new American sta
tistics in their relation to the use of
alcoholic beverages. 1T is not too
much to say that the loss Of 100000
! men, as the result of the present war
! ten years through complete abstinence
from alcoholic beverages by all the in
habitants of Russia
"One of the significant results Of the
investigation was the high mortality
experienced among railroad men," said
Mr.. Hunter. Among locomotive en-
gineers, for example. the mortality was
go per cent in excess of that expert
enced among the insured as a whole.
which Is equivalent to five. years re-
duction to the average lifetime. II
these locomotive engineers had been in
g non-haZardOus occuDa ton. there
would have been about 1877 deaths. and
there were actually 541 among them.
Saloon Men Die Early:
There is a general impression that
saloon keepers do not live as long as
persons in hazardous occupations,
hut te,
most classes which are connected with
either the manufacture or sale of Ii
quOr have a high mortality, Among
saloon proprietors, whether they at
tended the bar or not there was an
extra mortality of 10 per cent; and
the cause of death indicated that a
free use of alcoholic beverages had
caused many of the deaths.
among the men who admitted that
they had taken alcohol occasionally
to excess in the past. but whose ha bits
were considered satisfactory when
they were insured, there were 289
deaths, while there would have been
only 100 deaths had this group been
made up of insured lives in general
The extra mortality was. therefore
over so per cent. which was equiva-
lent to a reduction in the average life
of these men of over four years. II
this meant that four years would be
cut off the end of the average norma,
lifetime of each man, there are many
who would consider that the game
was worth the candle. but 1t means
that in each year a number of men
Will die at an earlier age than they
should. For example, at age 35. the
expectation OF life is 80: in the first
year after that age. instead Of say. {
persons dying. there would probably
De II deaths; that is three men would
each lose 80 years of life; in the next
year probably four men would each
lose 81 years of life etc. AS a matter
OF fact many immoderate drinkers
would live longer than 80 years. hut
not nearly so many as would live II
they had been moderate drinkers. an6
far fewer than if they had been tota
abstainers from alcohol