Palisadian., 1923-09-21
MORTALITY RATE
FOR men LOWER
Women Fast Losing the Ad-
vantage They Formerly Had,
Statistics Show.

Neutrality-suspicious. are fast losing
the advantage which they have pos
sessed In the past of lower rate Of
mortality than men, 1t is indicated by
life insurance statistics. The excess
mortality of men over women. 1t is
said, has been one of the supposed
fixed relationships In vital statistics.
In the United States the death rate
of males has always been found to
be higher than that Of females at
every age period from birth till
death and this condition has pre-
vailed quite generally throughout the
civilized world. In recent years, how
ever, the mortality of females has
actually been higher than that of
males among the Industrial policy
holders of the insurance companies in
the United States and Canada. In 1911
the mortality of white males insured
In one company was more than IL per
cent higher than among females.
While the actual excess in male NOR
tality varied somewhat from year to
year, the condition continued up to
and including 1913
Change Also Noted In Negro Race.
The year 1919 was marked by a
sudden drop to about 5 per cent, and
by 1920 a reversal in the relationship
had become a fact, with the female
mortality 90 per cent above that Of
males. In 1921 1t was IL per cent
higher In 1922 the condition was
again changed to an excess of 1.2 per
cent in male mortality. over that Of
females.
In the negro race the difference
between the death rate of the two
sexes was never SO strikingy marked,
but, nevertheless, between 1912 and
1918 the excess of male mortality was
continuous, varying from to about
10 per cent. The year 1919 was the
first year In which the mortality Of
females actually exceeded that for
males, and this condition has contin-
ued since, including the year 1922.
The fact that reversal appears
among both white and negro lives is
considered significant. Very similar
AL Tic tdhty tdtCo VA
males and females are apparently in
dicated, 1t Is pointed out, In the fig
ures for the registration area during
the corresponding years, and light Is
thrown on the possible factors by con-
sideration of the sge periods Of life
where these changes were most pro-
nounced.
Greatest at chiId-Bearlne Age.
It Is shown that among white per
sons the excess of female mortality
was entirely limited to the ages Of
twenty to thirty-four in 1921 and to
fifteen to thirty-four in 1920. Among
the negroes 1t occurred between the
ages of ten and thirty-four In 1921,
ten and twenty-four In 1919 and one
and thirty-four In 1920. After age Of
thirty-five the male mortality has con-
tinued to be higher than the female
throughout the rest Of life.
The ages says the report, are def
nitely those of child-bearing. They
are also the ages at which the influ-
enza epidemic made its greatest in
roads and in which tuberculosis
showed the most pronounced decreases
during the last decade. It is entirely
conceivable, comments the statistician,
that each one Of these three items
played an important part in the phe-
nomenon under consideration. Atten-
tion has been repeatedly called in re-
cent years to the excessive mortality
among women from causes incidental
to pregnancy and child-bearing, these
excessive maternal death rates having
shown, 1t is said. the greatest reluc-
tance toward improvement.
The influenza epidemic. beginning
with 1918. 1t Is thought, may have
been the exciting cause for much Of
this Increased maternal mortality, 1t
having been noted early In the influ-
enza outbreaks that women at the
child-bearing ages suffered excessively
from the disease. This condition has
been marked with each new outbreak
Of influenza. It Is further brought
forward that there is no question as
to the gunAter reduction Of tubercu-
losis mortality among males than
among females, and this Is strikingly
marked In the ages under considera-
ton. --' '---'