The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1923-07-10
FEMALE Of. THE [ !, SPECIES ]! }: |;!?!!!;; !,
bH' -. .i.,.s ,-sSs1sa 81 aaAadAAlsa -
ND MORE HARDY Than MALE
orATTsTICS OF METROPOLI-
TAN LIFE SHOW CHANGE
IN SEX MORTALITY.
MANY INFLUENCES ARE NOTICED

te,r exceptions, ana lHOSe uloSlly III
o,s;etent-seemed to bear out this
,.to+ and make of it one of the sup
oosad fixed relationships between
men and women.
In the United States the death rate
- males has always been found to BIZ
h;ober than that of females at every
,ae oeriod from birth until death, anc
,5;s condition has prevailed very gen
sr,v throughout the civilized world
0nly in an occasional country was
tbpre fairly constant exception tc
he found. and then only at limited
ace periods of life.
Mortality Rate Changes.
Now, strangely enough, reports the
METROPOLITAN Life Insurance Com
nany in its most recent statistical bull
Iatin this relationship is apparently
mt as constant as we have learned to
believe.
In recent years, the company re-
norris, the mortality of women has act
saly been higher than that OF men
among the millions of Metropolitan
industrial policy holders in the United
States and Canada. The company's ex-
perts are so surprised at this that they
suggest that the phenomenon may
have been localized through some
freak not yet come to their attention
or may be only temporary.
The bulletin reports:
IN 1911 the mortality of white
males insured in this company was
more than Is per cent higher than
among females. This condition con-
tnued up to and including 1918, the
actual excess in the male mortality
varving somewhat from year to year.
in 1919 the excess dropped to
about per cent In 1920 a reversal
in the relationship finally occurred,
the female mortality being 20 per
cent above that for males. In 1921 the
female mortality was IL per cent
above In 1922 the condition was
again changed to an excess OF IL per
cent in the male mortality over that
Of females.
Among negroes the difference be-
tween the death rates of the two sexes
was never so strikingly marked, but
nevertheless between 1912 and 1918
the excess of males was continuous,
VARYING from 2 to about 10 per cent.
The wear 1919 is the first in which the
mortality of females actually exceed
ed that for males, and this condition
has continued since, including the year
1922"
Reason Is Hard to Find.
What these changes may mean it
is still difficult to say" states the re-
port Light is thrown on the posi-
bic factors by consideration OF the
age periods of life where these chang
es are most pronounced.
Thus, we find that among white
persons the excess of female mortal1-
ty was entirely limited to the ages
20 to "a in 1921 and to IS to "a in
1920; among negroes it occurred be
tween the ages Of 10 and "a in 1921,
10 and "a in 1919, and l and "a in
1920 After age IS the male mortality
has continued to be higher than the
female throughout the rest OF lite.
The ages are definitely those OF
child-bearing. They are also the ages
at which the influenza epidemic made
its greatest inroads and III which tu-
berculosis showed the most pronounc-
ed decreases during the last decade.
1t is entirely conceivable that each
one OF these three items has played
an important part in the phenomenon
under consideration.
I'VE have again and again in recent
4 Years called attention to the excessive
mortality among women from the
causes incidental to pregnancy and
chlldbearing. These excessive mater
nal death rates have shown the great
est reluctance toward improvement.
Influenza May Have Figured.
THE influenza epidemic, beginning
with 1913, may we'll have been the
exciting cause for much of this IN
creased maternal mortality. 1t was
noticed early in the influenza out
breaks that women at the child-bear-
ing ages suffered excessively from the
disease.
Perhaps independently, there has
also occurred a much greater decline
noin pulmonary tuberculosis among
males than among females at these
ages 1t is still too early to say what
alls may mean, but there can be nc
question as to the greater reduction
II tuberculosis mortality among males
.Ia3 among females, and this is strlk-
13y marked in the ages under con-
sjderation.
We are unable as yet to make
a ! ne intensive analysis of the factors
IL ms problem. 1t will be necessary
l. observe the conditions for mum
w., ea OF additional years and to nott
r-[a..uencles, 1t will be necessary tc
IoIe whether the conditions described
nave been general or localized. 1t i
rossloIe Of course, that we are con
C Co,uel here with only a temporary