The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-09-26
DEATH RATE LOWER.
Vermont Health Record Third i'll New
England.

4 preliminary statement Just made
public by Director Sam l.. Rogers, OF
the bureau of the census, department
of commerce, and prepared under the
supervision of Richard c. Lappin, chief
statistician for vital statistics, shows
a death rate of l3.5 - the lowest
on record - per 600 estimated popu-
lation of the registration area of the
United States in 1915. This rate was
based on 909, 100 deaths returned from
- states I'm one o. which, North Caro-
lima, only municipalities of l ,o20
population and over in 1910 were in
1 cluded), the District of Columbia and
IL cities in non registration states, the
total population of this area in
\ 1915 being estimated at 1887 ,o00, or
GIL per cent of the total estimated pop
ulation eff the United States.
There is 4 widespread and increasing
interest throughout the country in re-
spect to vital statistics. The states of
North and South Carolina, which re
GENTLY enacted the ''model law for
the registration Of births and deaths,
were admitted to the death registration
area for 1916, increasing the estimated
population of the areas to 7o.2 per cent
Oh int lOldI lOG llC OHIltu t9ttICNS III
that year.
The death rate for 1915, 1875 per goo
population, is the lowest ever recorded,
the most favorable year prior to 1915
having been 1914, for which the rate
was 1876. 1t is marked lower than the
average rate for the five-year pc
Rod, 1901 to 1905, which was 1862. The
decrease thus amounts to 1871 per cent,
or almost exactly one sixth, dur
ing a little more than q decade. When
due allowance is made for the addition
of many new states to the registration
area between 1905 and 1915 and the
comparison is confined to the group of
registration states as constituted during
the period 190l05-the present pop
uIation Of which is about one-fourth of
the total of the country - there is still
shown a very considerable decrease,
from 1919 to 1913 per ! 900 population
or 10.1 per cent This decrease, on the
| basis of the present deaths. On the as
| sumption that a corresponding reduction
has taken place throughout the entire
country, this would indicate a saving of
| approximately 10000 lives in 1915 foI
| the United States as whole.
4 The annual report for 1915, to be is
4 sued later, viii state that changes ii
/ the age and sex constitution of the pop
/ ulation must be considered before tho
Il exact nature and extent of the lower
: general mortality can be understood. L
, is certain, however, that the great
1 progress made during recent year!
! in the sciences of medicine and santa
4 ton, together with the widespread
awakening of the people throughout tn,
United States to the support of publit
health authorities. has resulted in tn,
saving annually of scores of thousand
of lives that would have been lost unde
the conditions prevailing only few
years ago.
The following table gives the dealt
4 rates for the past three years separate
ly and for the consecutive five-year pc
I RODS l901-1905 and 1861 1910. The area
4 to which the figures relate are the regis
tration states and the cities which ha,
Y 100000 or more inhabitants in 1910