The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-04-23
PRINCIPAL CAUSES OF DEATH
More Than Half Succumb from One
of Nine Diseases Says Bureau

ton area of the United States, re
lating to the calendar year 1913, re-
Gently issued by the bureau of the
census, department of commerce,
contains some interesting and signi-
ficant figures with reference to the
principal causes of death in this
country. More than one-half of all
the deaths in the registration area
which in 1913 contained about IS per
cent of the total population of the
United States-were due to nine
causes: tuberculosis, heart diseases,
pneumonia, Brights disease and nep-
hritis. diarrhea and enteritis. cancer,
apopleXy, diphtheria, and Group, and
typhoid fever. The first three of
these maladies alone were respon-
sble for more than 80 per cent of
the total mortality reported for that
year.
The death rate from these nine
causes combined in 1913 was S104 a
hundred thousand population. This
is a material decrease from the
corresponding rate in 190O-9374 a
hundred thousand-when the census
bureau made its first annual collec-
ton of mortality statistics The
number of deaths resulting from
these causes, however, formed a
somewhat greater proportion of the
total reported mortality in 1913 than
in 1900-57 per cent in the later
year as compared with 50 per cent in
the earlier
tuberculosis in its various forms
claimed 93,421 victims in 1913. of
which number S0,S12 died from tuber
culosis of the lungs tincluding acute
military tuberculosis.) With improv-
ed sanitation and with better under
standing of the laws of health and
the importance of pure air, however
the white plague is rapidly becom-
ing less serious menace to health
and happiness. In only nine years
from 1910 to 1913 the mortality rate
from tuberculosis in all its forms
fell from 2007 to 1916 hundred
thousand, the decline being continu-
Gus from year to year. Prior to 1904
the rate had fluctuated, starting at
201.9 in 1900.
The far northern states of Maine,
New Hampshire Vermont, Michigan,
Wisconsin, Minnesota, Montana and
Washington all show white mortality
rates from tuberculosis which were
decidedly lower than the average
for the entire registration area. Pen
nsylyanias rate was also low. On
the other hand, the rate in Utah
whose southern boundary lies in
nearly the same latitude as that OF
Nirginia-is away below that of any
other state, being only about one
third as high as the rate for the en-
tire registration area. The mortality
rate among the white poulation from
tuberculosis of the lungs throughout
the entire registration area in 1913
was 1857 hundred thousand. The
corresponding rates for the states
just named are as follows: Utah, 81
Washington, 70.6; Michigan, ISL;
Montana, 1913; Wisconsin, S34: Min
nesota, SAG; Vermont, SIS: Maine,
95.S; Pennsylvania, 97.3; New Hamp-
shire, 1913.
The death rates from tuberculosis
of the lungs are abnormally high
among the white population in both
California and Colorado-167.5 and
1872 per 100000. respectively-be
cause of the fact that many consump-
tives from other parts of the country
are attracted to these states by rea-
son of the exceptionally favorable
climatic conditions
A comparison of the mortality
among whites from tuberculosis of
the lungs in city and rural districts
brings out very considerable diff
ference in favor of the latter. the
rates in 1913 being 1855 for cities of
10000 and over. taken as a whole,
and 1OO.SS for places of less than
10000.
The deaths from heart diseases Cor
ganic diseases of the heart and endo-
carditis) in the registration area in
1913 numbered 93.142. or 147.1 a hun
dred thousand. While the mortality
rate for tuberculosis has been declin-
ing from year to year, the rate for
heart diseases has been rising.
Pneumonia in its various forms
was the cause of S3,77S deaths. or
1924 a hundred thousand, in the re.
gistration area during 1913. The
death rate from this disease, like that
from tuberculosis has shown a mark
ed decline since 1900 when it was
1905 a hundred thousand Its fuct-
uations from year to year however.
have been much more violent.
The only states in which the death
rates from pneumonia in all its forms
exceeded the average for the entire
registration area are the six New
England states and New York. New
Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland
The rates in these 10 states--which
constitute continuous area, small in
geographic extent but containing
large proportion of the total popula.
tion of the country-ranged in 1918
from 40 a hundred thousand in Yer
mont to lila a hundred thousand in
New York. The lowest rate for any
state in the registration area was
that of Washington. SO hundred
thousand.
The only remaining death rate
higher than 100 a hundred thousand
in 1913 was that for Bright's disease
and acute nephritis' 1929. The to-
tai number of deaths due to these
causes in 1913 was 65106. about nine
tenths of which were caused by
Bright's disease, the remainder being
charged to acute nephritis related
kidney disorder. The mortality from
these causes increased from SO hun
bred thousand in 1900 to 1O3 in 1905