Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-29
DATA ON DEATH AND WEATHER
SHOW WHITE MANS IDEAL DAY
1t Has Temperature of IS Degrees Fahren-
heit, Humidity of 80 and Is Preceded
by 10 Days Of Changes.

| popular belief, evidenced by popular
proverbs. The study confirms this sta
tistically, but introduces one surprising
new factor-variability from day to day.
There seems to be little question" says
the report, that interdilrnal changes
in New York City d. g the years UNI
der discussion we're at least as impor-
tant as relative humidity, and almost
as important as mean temperature.
They appear TO have an effect wholly
| independent of the temperatures them
selves. No matter whether a drop in
| temperature causes the mean tel era
/ ture to be better or worse, it tends to
produce a stimulating effect which in
duceS a relatively low death rate, both
on the day in question and on the next
day. No matter whether a rise in tenn
| peratu~> brings a favorable or unfa-
vorable mean temrerature, its effect for
| two days is to 70 :se the death rate.
This is so curious a phenomenon and
so little understood that it presents
perhaps the most difficult problem
among all those here suggested. 1t de-
mands extensive experiments on plants
and animals as well as man.
Even more un pected is the EVIL
oence of the stimulating effect of a
moderately high degree Of variability
from day to day and the i'll effect of
| low variability. The deaths suggest
that the optimum variability increases
from the warm season to the cold"
The study, Prof. Huntington points
out, explains the old adage that "a
warm Christmas makes q fat church
yard"
Death Rate Rises in Heat.
"As a matter of fact" he says, "a
mild December or any other mild VIM
| far month in q cltf11 to likA that NJ Neu
York generally means low death rate.
But sudden warm spell at Christmas
or any other time means high death
rate temporarily. The death rate in
March and April is almost always far
higher than in October and November,
! even when the temperature is the same.
This is due in part to the fact that in
| the Spring there Is necessarily q pre-
| ponderance of days with an interdiurnal
rise of temperature, where as in Autumn
there is a corresponding preponderance
Of days with drop"
The population Of New York during
the years studied was preponderantly
English, Irish, Scotch, Dutch, German
| and Scandinavian, which presumably
4 had been biologically conditioned for
centuries 10 a certain optimum cli-
matte condition.
! But, says the report, "it is possible
]
is a certain biological change in the
| optimum through natural selection or
some other form of adaptation. But
even II the biological optimum remains
constant, does mans changing ability
to adapt himself to heat and cold cause
different climates to be best for him ut
different stages of progress? Fire,
clothing and shelter enable man to
feel comfortable and maintain his
! IN a
otherwise be best for him. Thus in
the past the places where man Is most
comfortable, healthy and active ave
tended to be located IN cooler and
cooler regions as his power over nature
has increased"
Now, the report points out, the tide
Of progress seems to be turning the
other way with its conqueSts of tropical
and Summer diseases, sanitation, artifl-
cial refrigeration, etc. Old folks need
warmer climates than young folks, and
with a declining birthrate and lower
mortality the United States is becom-
ing nation Of older men and women.
rs the increasing extent to which
our older leaders live part of the time
in the warmer portion of the~country,"
Prof. Huntington asks, "a definite step
toward a condition where temperature
centerS farther south than is now the
case, so that the temperature more
nearly fits the optimum Of the growing
proportion OF old people? We have no
answer"
The members of the National Re-
search Council committee presenting
the report are, besides Prof Hunting
ton, Philip Drinker of the Harvard Med
ical School. Louis I. Dublin of the
Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., Will
liam H. Howell Of Johns Hopkins Uni
versity, Edward Kopf of the Metro
politan Life Insurance Co., Frederic s.
Lee of Columbia University and L. r.
Thompson of the Public Health Service.