The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-09-23
DEATH RATE LOWER
Vermonts Health Record Third in
New England.

A 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 Mr.. Richard c. Lappin,
chief statistician for vital statistics,
shows a death rate of 13.5-the low
est on record-per 1000 estimated
population of the registration area of
the United States in 1915. This rate
was based on 900, 155 deaths returned
from % states Tin one of which, North
Carolina, only municipalities OF 1000
population and over in 1910 were in
cluded), the District of Columbia and
Al cities in non-registration states,
the total population of this area in
1915 being estimated at 67,SS7OOO, or
GIL per cent of the total estimated
population of the United States.
There is a widespread and increas-
ing interest throughout the country in
respect 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 registra
ton area for 1916, increasing the esti-
mated population of the area to 70.2
per cent of the total for the United
States in that year.
The death rate for 1915, 1876 per
900 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
ly lower than the average rate for the
five-year period 1901 to 1905, which
was 1872. The decrease thus amounts
to 1871 per cent, or almost exactly one
sixth, during a little more than de-
cade. 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 con
stituted during the period l9Ol-O5-the,
present population of which is about
one fourth of the total of the country
there is still shown very consider
able decrease, from 1873 to lab per
900 population, or 10.1 per cent. This
decrease, on the basis of the present
deaths. On the assumption that a cor
responding reduction has taken place
throughout the entire country, this
would indicate saving Of approx
mately 10000 lives in 1915 for the
United States as a whole.
The annual report for 1915, to be is
sued later, will state that changes in
the age and sex constitution Of the
population must be considered before
the exact rc.ure and extent of the low
er general mortality can be under
stood. 1t is certain, however, that the
great progress made during recent
years in the sciences of medicine and
sanitation. together with the wide
spread awakening of the people
throughout the United States to the
support of public health authorities,
has resulted in the saving annually
Of scores of thousands Of lives that
| would have been lost under the con
ditions prevailing only few y---s
| age
The following table gives the death
rates for the past three years separate
| " and for the consecutive fve.year
periods 1901-l9O5 and l906-1910. The
areas to which the figures relate are
the registration states and the cities
which had 100000 or more inhabitant )
in 1919. Separate figures are given
for the colored population in states in
which colored persons constituted 10
per cent or more of the total popula-
ton in 1910 and in cities having l0,-
600 or more colored inhabitants in
that year. s,xT
In the states for which death rates
for 1901.1915 are given. the greatest
proportional decrease between that
period and 1915 is shown for Rhode
Island, 1863 per cent. Next in order
are New York, with a decrease of LAG
per cent; New Jersey, 1913 per cent;
Massachusetts, 1871 per cent; Yer
mont, 9.3 per cent; Connecticut, 81
per cent: Indiana, S.S per cent; New
Hampshire 8 per cent; and Maine
10 per cent Michigan alone showed
| n e1fohi iuprpaea aipht.tanthe nf 1 npI