Evening star., 1928-12-29

healthful time is August and Sep
tember
Seasonal variations in the activity Of
trouble making bacteria are shown In
the common cold. Careful records SHOW
| that colds sweep over the country like
tidal waves, and that when everybody Is
sneezing and snuff1ing in Boston, Co
lumbus. South Hadley, Mass, and Chi
cago the people of Baltimore, Washing
ton. New Orleans and San Francisco
are doing the same.
And, equally strange, the color OF our
noses and the condition OF our throatS
begin to improve about the same time
everywhere and at about the same date
every year, no matter whether we dwell
in the cold, damp, wintry winds OF
Down East or in the balmy breezeS OF
the Gulf of Mexico, in the mild, salu-
brious climate along the Potomac or In
blustery San Francisco.
We have, roughly, about Al ,O0O,OO
wage earnerS in the United States. AS
suming that conditions where surveys
have been made are typical Of the coun-
try as a whole, it looks as though every
one of these workers, on the average,
will have two colds next year. The
average number of days lost to workers
on account of colds will therefore be
around 53,55O0 900. And 53,550,000 days
amount, in round figures, to 146,7 700
years.
The following table shows how long
Gn days. we may expect to be laid up
this new year with different kinds OF
colds: -.
Ave. FREQUENT
Bronchitis ..........'.... le.S s9
Colds without cough ..... IS So
Colds with cough ......... III 90
According to our chart, we shall be
bothered quite bit by colds New Year
day, and by the end of the first week OF
January there will be a faSt-growing
crop of colds. BY the middle of the
month this furry will have reached its
peak for the year. From then on, with
minor jumps, there will be a general
fall In frequency until Midsummer.
The Fall will bring the first cases OF
the shortening and cooling days. The
first high spot of the Autumn cold"
season will be attained in the latter
part of october in all parts of the coun-
try. This will be followed by decline
everywhere until the latter part OF De-
cember. when the curve will commence
to climb the steepest grade OF the year.
Death Rate by Months.
The following table shows the death
rate per 1000 for the different months,
with the causes Of death placed in the
months In which they attain their max
imum prevalence:
Mo, Rate Important Causes of Death.
Jan Is 30-Diphtheria pneumonia, bron-
chitiS, tuberculosis, respiratory
diseases.
Feb. .13.3-Infiuenza. pneumonia. tubercu-
loSis, bronchitis, respiratory
diseases, rheumatism.
Mar IS 6-BronchitiS, pneumonia, measles,
scarlet fever, whooping cough,
influenza, tuberculosis, reSpira-
tory diseases. rheumatism. heart
disease. ~,
April .1s1-Tuberculosis. suicides, heart dis
ease BrightS disease.
May 121-Tuberculosis, suicides.
June II Suicides, dySentery.
July .105-Accidents of all kinds, homl-
cides, dysentery, infantile en-
teritis, wllooping cough.
Aug 10aTyphoid, malaria, infantile en-
teritiS whooping cough;
Sent l03-Typhoid, infantile paralysis.
Oct iO7-AutOmobile accidents, Fall COLDS.
Nov l3-Automobile accidents, FaI colds;
Dec Il, ,3=DiseaSes that take greatest toll
in following March begin TO
show UP in this month.
Here are the odds against your not
dying at different ages during the forth
coming IL months: