The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-04-20
With 80 Per Cent of Total
Death Rate in e. s.
so Per Cent DUE TO DISEASE
Negroes Die Faster Than White
People, Is Report.
Rate in Cities Larger Than in
the Small Towns.

/ States, relating to the calendar year
1913. recently issued by the bureau of
the census, department of commerce,
contains some interesting and signifi-
| cant figures with reference to the
| principal causes of death in this cOun
try. 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
State's-were due to nine causes: Tu-
| berculosis, heart diseases, pneumonia,
Bright's disease and nephritis. diar-
| rhea and enteritiS, cancer, apoplexy,
| diphtheria and Group, and typhoid fe-
yer. The first three of these maladies
alone were responsible for more than
| 80 per cent of the total mortality re-
| ported for that year.
| The death rate from these nine
causes combined in 1913 was 810.4 per
100000 population. This is mater
! ial decrease from the corresponding
rate in 1900-937.4 per 1OO,OOO-when
the census bureau made its first an
nua1 collection of mortality statistics
The number of deaths resulting from
| these causes, however, formed a some
what greater proportion of the total
! reported mortality in 1918 than in
| 1900-57 per cent in the later year as
compared with So per cent in the ear
! lier.
Tuberculosis.
tuberculosis in it's various forms
claimed 93,421 victims in 1913, of
which number S0.812 died from tuber-
military tuberculosis). With improved
sanitation and with better understand
ing of the laws of health and the inn
portance of pure air, however, the
white plague" is rapidly becoming i
less serious menace to health and hap
piness. In only nine years-from 1904
to 1913-the mortality rate from tu-
berculosis in all its forms fell from
2O0.7 to 1915 per 1000 the decline
being continuous from year to year.
Prior to 1904 the rate had fluctuated,
starting at 201.9 in 1900.
The death rates from tuberculosis
of the lungs are abnormally high
among the white population in both
California and Colorado-1675 and
1912 per 100000, respectively-be-
cause of the fact that many consump-
tives from other parts of the country
are attra cted to these states by reason
of their exceptionally. favorable CHI
matte conditions. 49,
A comparison of the mortality,
among whites from tuberculosis of the
lungs in urban and rural districts
brings out a very cOnSidera BILE differ
ence in favor of the latter, the, rates
in 1913 being 1855 for cities of 10000
and over, taken as a whole, and
1908 for places of less than 10000.
Heart Diseases.
The deaths from heart diseases Cor
ganic diseases of the heart and endo-
1913 numbered 93,142, or 147.1 per
100000. Starting in 1900 at 1891 per
100000, as compared with 2O1.9 for
tuberculosis in all it's forms, the death
rate for organic heart diseases and
endocarditis has f1uctuated, reaching
its highest point in recent years, 1914 |
in 1907.
Pneumonia.
Pneumonia in it's various forms was |
the cause of 83,77S deaths, or 1924
per 100000, in the registration area
during 1913. The death rate from |
this disease, like that from tubercu-
ho oh
since 1900, when it was 1905 per |
100000. Its fluctuations from year
to year, however, have been much |
more violent The mortality rate for
pneumonia in 1913 was about 10 per |
cent greater among the colored popu- |
lation than among the whites.
pneumonia, according to the sta |
tistics, is much more prevalent in |
urban than in rural communities
Bright's Disease and Nephritis.
The only remaining death rate |
higher than 100 per 100000 in 1919 |
was that for Bright's disease and
number of deaths due to these causes |
in 1913 was 65,106, about nine-tenths |
of which were caused by Bright's dis |
ease. the remainder being charged to
acute nephritis, a related kidney dis |
order. The mortality from these |
causes increased from SO per 100000 |
in 1900 to 1894 in 1905. since which |
year it has fluctuated somewhat, |
ranging between 93.7 in 1908 and 1O2 |
in 1912
Diarrhea and Enteritis.
Diarrhea and enteritis caused ST.
$50 deaths, or 90.2 per 100, 900, in the |
registration area in 1913. OF these |
deaths, more than four-fifths were of |
infants under 2 years OF age, and over
two-thirds were of infants under l |
year.
Cancer.
Next in order of deadliness comes |
cancer, which filled nearly $4,000 |
deaths due to this dreaded n1alady |
was 49,928, of which about 40 per |
cent resulted from cancers of the |
stomach and liver. The mortality |
rate rose from SO per 100000 in 1900 |
to 1873 in 1913.
1t is worthy of note that the coll
ored population, for which the death |
rates from most causes are much |
higher than for the whites, shows a
decidedly low rate for cancer-57.3
per 100000 for the entire registration
area in 1913, as compared with 80 FOR
the whites.
Apoplexy.
Apoplexy was the cause of 4722O
deaths, or 74.6 per loo, 900, in the reg
istration area in 1913. This rate in
crea sed gradually, with occasional
slight declines. from 67.5 per 100,0 900
in 1900 to 1877 in 1912, but dropped
slightly in 1918.
Diphtheria and Group.
No epidemic disease produced |
mortality rate as high 90 per 1OO.- |
900 in 1918. The fatal cases OF diph- |
liberia and Group numbered 1890, or |
1873 per 100000, in that year, the rate |
having fallen from 43S in 1900.
typhoid Fever.
Deaths from typhoid fever also /
showed a very gratifying decline be-
tween 1900 and 1913, decreasing FROM |
35-9 per 100000 in the earlier year to /