New Britain herald., 1916-11-29
THE CAUSES OF DEATH.
Threc Uppernost,-Heart Disease, Tuberculosis and Pneumonia
 Safety First Campaign Effective.

An interesting fact in the summary of mortality statistics for 1915 issued today by the Census Bureau is that in the area where reports are reg istered and complication can be made nearly one-third of the deaths were due to three causes, heart diseases, tuberculosis and pneumonia
 Those wise counsellors who insist that we are living too fast may find support in this summary. Heart dis eases, which are considered in many
 cases manifestation of the severity
 of the struggle to get rich, to keep up
 appearances, to burn the candle at
 both ends, are placed first as a cause
 of death Last year the deaths from
 these diseases numbered 1862 to each
 100, ,OO0 Of population. This rate shows a marked increase as compared with
 1900, when it was only 123.1 to the same number of persons.
 It is cheering to learn that the progress made in the prevention of tu-
 berculosis has brought good results. The recognition of the contagious
 character of the disease the conse-
 quent isolation and the employment
 of the open air treatment have all
 had part in the decline of the death
 rate. This has been twenty-five per
 cent. in the last ten years. Pneu-
 mOnia, too, has shown a marked de-
 cline in the same period. The rate,
 however, has tiuctuated from year to year, being much higher in 1915 than 1914, which was the lowest on record.
 The only remaining death rate higher than one hundred in 100, ,OOO population was that of Bright's dis
 ease and acute nephritis. The mor- a fU hoC increasing since 19O0 The same is
 true of cancer, the sixth in order of deadliness. Tn this century only two
 years have shown a decline in this disease as compared with the years immediately preceding.
 Epidemics have not for several years exacted a heavy toll upon our population. One of the gratifying things in the report is the marked de-
 cline of the m ortality rate from ty-
 phoid fever. The decline, in fact, Is
 greater than that shown by any other important cause Of death Improved methods of sanitation better systems of water supply and sewerage. and campaigns against files are factors which cited as proving valua b1e in reducing almost two-thirds the death rate of this disease in the fifteen years or lnlS CG1luIy.
 The safety first campaign has borne good fruit There has been a considerable reduction in fatalities due to railway, street car, mine and machinery accidents. The number of deaths from automo obile accidents has increased, but the increase has not been so rapid as in the number of ma chimes in use
 The census shows the astonishing fact that last year firearms caused nearly as many deaths as railroads and street cars combined and more than twice as many as automobiles i Out of 1,216 cases of suicide reported ] firearms were used in more than one- third. Firearms caused almost 5000 other deaths.
 It is evident from this report that | there has been lowering in the 1 death rate of the country. This no | doubt, is due to the doctors an in- 1 creasing interest in sanitation and | health and better methods Of con- l serving lives in dangerous occupa- 1 tions. But if the United States is to l make really satisfactory showing 1 in mortality statistics it apparently | should limit the use of firearms. and l needing the advice of the sages, stop l living too fast