Chapter XXXIV: Section VIII: Comparison of Degenerative Tendencies Among Nations

DEATH RATE PER 1,000 OF POPULATION BY AGE PERIODS IN THE UNITED
STATES[N] AND IN VARIOUS EUROPEAN COUNTRIES.[O]
+-------+------+--------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
| | | | | | |
| | U. S.| PRUSSIA | FRANCE | ITALY | SWEDEN |
| | Reg. | 1900-01 | 1899-1902 | 1899-1902 | 1891-00 |
| Ages | Area | | | | |
| | 1900 | | | | |
| |P'sons|--------------+------+-------+------+-------+------+-------+
| | | Males| Fem. | Males| Fem. | Males| Fem. | Males| Fem. |
+-------+------+------+-------+------+-------+------+-------+------+-------+
|Under 1|165.4 | 221.8| 189.4 | ... | ... | 174.8| 158.3 | ... | 101.6 |
|1 | 46.6 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
|2 | 20.5 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
|3 | 13.2 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
|4 | 9.4 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
|Under 5| 52.1 | 24.3| 23.4 | 56.9| 48.5 | 38.4| 39.8 | ... | 36.9 |
| 5-9 | 5.2 | 4.9| 5.1 | 4.6| 4.6 | 6.1| 6.7 | ... | 5.9 |
|10-14 | 3.3 | 2.7| 3.0 | 2.9| 3.5 | 3.2| 3.8 | ... | 3.6 |
|15-19 | 5.2 | 4.2| 3.7 | 4.9| 5.2 | 4.6| 5.4 | 4.6| 4.7 |
|20-24 | 7.5 | 5.8| 4.7 | 7.8| 6.4 | 6.8| 7.0 | 6.7| 5.7 |
|25-29 | 8.6 | 5.8| 6.0 | 8.0| 8.0 | 6.7| 7.6 | 6.6| 6.1 |
|30-34 | 9.4 | 6.7| 6.7 | 8.5| 7.8 | 6.7| 7.9 | 6.7| 6.5 |
|35-39 | 11.0 | 9.0| 7.8 | 10.5| 8.8 | 7.5| 8.6 | 7.6| 7.2 |
|40-44 | 12.2 | 12.1| 8.6 | 12.7| 9.7 | 9.3| 9.1 | 8.8| 7.9 |
|45-49 | 15.2 | 15.9| 10.0 | 15.1| 10.9 | 11.4| 9.6 | 10.7| 8.6 |
|50-54 | 19.1 | 21.2| 13.8 | 19.1| 14.5 | 15.7| 12.9 | 13.7| 10.9 |
|55-59 | 26.3 | 28.3| 20.4 | 26.6| 20.5 | 21.0| 17.7 | 18.6| 14.3 |
|60-64 | 35.1 | 39.5| 31.4 | 37.4| 30.5 | 33.5| 30.9 | 26.1| 21.3 |
|65-69 | 52.2 | 57.8| 50.3 | 54.5| 47.1 | 50.2| 48.8 | 39.5| 33.8 |
|70-74 | 75.2 | 87.0| 78.9 | 86.9| 77.7 | 85.4| 87.4 | 62.0| 54.8 |
|75-79 |110.5 | 132.5| 125.3 | 130.7| 120.6 | 134.3| 138.5 | 101.3| 90.1 |
|80-84 |165.8 | 199.3| 186.6 | ... | ... | 214.5| 215.6 | ... | ... |
|85-89 |241.3 | 283.6| 271.4 | 221.9| 219.8 | 317.1| 307.3 | 197.8| 179.6 |
|90-94 |339.2 | 395.2| 345.6 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
|95-over|418.9 | 404.8| 402.1 | ... | ... | 391.7| 369.1 | ... | ... |
+-------+------+------+-------+------+-------+------+-------+------+-------+

NOTE: In 1900 or thereabouts, the death rates at the middle ages of life were heavier in the United States than in Prussia, France, Italy, and Sweden. Since then the death rates in the United States at these ages have grown even greater.

In the foreign countries the death rate by persons can be approximated by adding the rates for males and females of same age and dividing by two.

[N] 12th Census. U. S., 1900, iii. _Vital Statistics_, p. LXXIX.

[O] _F. Prinzing Medizinische Statistik_, Verlag von Gustav Fischer in Jena, 1906.

ENGLAND AND WALES

Annual Standardized Death Rates, Death Rates at Twelve Groups of Ages,
and Infant Mortality, 1841-1910.[P]
-----+----+-------------------------------------------------------------
|All |
|Ages|
|(S | DEATHS PER 1,000 PERSONS AT SUBJOINED AGES
| t |
| a |
| n |
| d |----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+-----+-----
Year | a |0- |5- |10- |15- |20- |25- |35- |45- |55- |65- |75- |85
| r | -5| -10| -15| -20| -25| -30| -45| -55| -65| -75| -85|and
| d | | | | | | | | | | | |up-
| i | | | | | | | | | | | |wards
| z | | | | | | | | | | | |
| e | | | | | | | | | | | |
| d) | | | | | | | | | | | |
-----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+-----+-----
1841-|20.6|63.7| 8.7| 5.0| 7.2| 8.8| 9.7|12.1|16.1|28.7|62.0|137.1|295.3
45 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
1846-|22.4|68.7| 9.4| 5.6| 7.7| 9.8|10.9|13.6|18.1|31.4|65.9|145.8|306.6
50 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
1851-|21.7|68.9| 8.6| 5.2| 7.4| 9.0|10.1|12.7|17.2|29.6|62.9|143.2|299.5
55 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
1856-|20.7|66.9| 8.3| 4.7| 6.7| 8.3| 9.4|12.0|16.1|28.4|60.9|136.6|293.4
60 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
1861-|21.4|69.1| 8.4| 4.7| 6.6| 8.4| 9.8|12.6|17.1|30.2|62.4|139.1|298.8
65 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
1866-|21.2|68.1| 7.6| 4.3| 6.2| 8.0| 9.9|12.9|17.6|30.6|63.2|141.7|294.3
70 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
1871-|20.9|64.9| 6.9| 4.0| 5.8| 7.7| 9.6|13.1|18.0|31.6|65.3|141.6|305.2
75 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
1876-|19.8|61.9| 6.1| 3.5| 4.9| 6.5| 8.4|12.3|17.5|31.6|64.7|142.9|311.5
80 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
1881-|18.7|56.6| 5.7| 3.2| 4.6| 6.0| 8.0|11.8|17.2|31.0|63.5|136.1|277.7
85 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
1886-|18.5|56.9| 4.9| 2.8| 4.1| 5.3| 7.2|11.1|17.1|31.8|66.3|139.0|290.3
90 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
1891-|18.5|57.8| 4.6| 2.6| 4.0| 5.0| 6.8|11.0|17.3|32.5|67.3|140.8|274.1
95 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
1896-|17.6|57.6| 4.1| 2.4| 3.5| 4.5| 6.0|10.1|16.2|30.5|64.1|133.6|267.5
1900| | | | | | | | | | | | |
1901-|16.0|50.2| 3.7| 2.2| 3.1| 4.0| 5.4| 8.9|14.9|28.7|59.4|127.3|258.6
05 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
1906-|14.4|41.7| 3.4| 2.0| 2.9| 3.6| 4.8| 7.8|13.7|27.5|58.1|127.0|262.4
10 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
-----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+-----+-----

-----------+--------------------
Year | Deaths of Infants
| under 1 yr. of Age
| per 1,000 Births
-----------+--------------------
1841-45 | 148
1846-50 | 157
1851-55 | 156
1856-60 | 152
1861-65 | 151
1866-70 | 157
1871-75 | 153
1876-80 | 145
1881-85 | 139
1886-90 | 143
1891-95 | 151
1896-1900 | 156
1901-05 | 138
1906-10 | 117
-----------+--------------------

Note improvement since 1890 in death rate at every age period of life.

[P] Seventy-fifth Annual Report of the Registrar General of the Births, Deaths, and Marriages in England and Wales, 1912, p. 28.

DEATH RATES CLASSIFIED BY SEX, AGE, AND GENERAL NATIVITY, NEW YORK
STATE: 1900 AND 1910[Q]

MALE
----------+-------------------+-------------------+-------------------
| Native White. | Foreign | Colored.
| | Born White. |
+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------
Age | 1900 | 1910 | 1900 | 1910 | 1900 | 1910
Period. | Death | Death | Death | Death | Death | Death
| Rate. | Rate. | Rate. | Rate. | Rate. | Rate.
----------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------
All ages | 18.6 | 17.3 | 20.6 | 17.0 | 27.9 | 26.5
Under 1 | 180.3 | 154.9 | 166.6 | 104.6 | 410.5 | 313.2
1-4 | 23.0 | 17.5 | 31.6 | 21.7 | 57.0 | 46.6
5-9 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 5.3 | 3.4 | 11.0 | 7.4
10-14 | 3.0 | 2.3 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 8.1 | 7.1
15-19 | 4.6 | 3.9 | 4.9 | 4.3 | 10.2 | 11.3
20-24 | 7.4 | 5.9 | 6.8 | 5.2 | 13.8 | 11.2
25-29 | 9.4 | 7.5 | 7.9 | 5.6 | 14.0 | 11.8
30-34 | 11.3 | 9.6 | 9.3 | 6.9 | 15.5 | 19.6
35-39 | 12.4 | 12.3 | 12.2 | 9.8 | 15.1 | 19.8
40-44 | 13.6 | 13.7 | 15.0 | 13.2 | 19.3 | 23.9
45-49 | 14.7 | 16.6 | 19.8 | 17.7 | 30.9 | 28.7
50-54 | 17.2 | 19.6 | 26.0 | 23.6 | 32.0 | 32.4
55-59 | 22.3 | 27.0 | 34.3 | 35.4 | 43.8 | 45.3
60-64 | 31.0 | 37.4 | 43.4 | 46.9 | 40.5 | 57.4
65-69 | 46.3 | 53.5 | 61.9 | 65.6 | 72.4 | 76.5
70-74 | 67.5 | 72.3 | 82.2 | 85.2 | 90.2 | 77.5
75-79 | 109.4 | 118.1 | 119.4 | 115.7 | 125.0 | 130.6
80-84 | 156.1 | 163.9 | 182.4 | 190.7 | 163.1 | 163.5
85-89 | 243.8 | 246.0 | 239.0 | 243.3 | 122.8 | 183.7
90 & over| 366.7 | 394.9 | 351.0 | 367.6 | 280.0 | 263.2
----------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------

[Q] Willcox, Walter F., Special Report on Vital Statistics, 33d annual report, State Department of Health, State of New York, 1912.

FEMALE
----------+-------------------+-------------------+-------------------
| Native White. | Foreign | Colored.
| | Born White. |
----------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------
Age | 1900 | 1910 | 1900 | 1910 | 1900 | 1910
Period. | Death | Death | Death | Death | Death | Death
| Rate. | Rate. | Rate. | Rate. | Rate. | Rate.
----------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------
All ages | 16.1 | 14.4 | 19.7 | 16.2 | 24.7 | 21.7
Under 1 | 149.7 | 128.7 | 160.1 | 92.0 | 335.6 | 265.0
1-4 | 21.0 | 16.3 | 30.5 | 18.6 | 49.6 | 40.1
5-9 | 4.8 | 3.8 | 5.0 | 3.9 | 10.1 | 8.6
10-14 | 2.9 | 2.3 | 2.7 | 2.4 | 12.3 | 7.2
15-19 | 4.5 | 3.2 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 8.8 | 9.7
20-24 | 6.8 | 4.9 | 5.8 | 4.0 | 8.8 | 10.9
25-29 | 8.1 | 6.1 | 7.6 | 5.3 | 10.1 | 10.4
30-34 | 8.9 | 7.0 | 9.3 | 6.6 | 12.4 | 11.4
35-39 | 9.3 | 7.7 | 11.0 | 7.9 | 15.1 | 14.3
40-44 | 10.1 | 9.6 | 13.3 | 9.9 | 19.7 | 20.2
45-49 | 12.4 | 11.3 | 16.9 | 13.5 | 19.1 | 20.8
50-54 | 14.9 | 15.0 | 22.2 | 19.1 | 25.4 | 29.8
55-59 | 19.4 | 19.8 | 31.3 | 28.8 | 39.3 | 36.4
60-64 | 25.4 | 27.5 | 41.7 | 41.0 | 52.2 | 49.8
65-69 | 38.2 | 42.7 | 57.0 | 59.4 | 62.0 | 69.6
70-74 | 58.7 | 64.5 | 83.1 | 85.2 | 86.3 | 49.7
75-79 | 93.4 | 96.0 | 117.5 | 115.0 | 110.7 | 96.0
80-84 | 148.7 | 152.7 | 167.5 | 170.2 | 136.8 | 131.7
85-89 | 224.2 | 223.9 | 246.9 | 242.1 | 117.6 | 175.8
90 & over| 326.4 | 339.0 | 355.0 | 348.5 | 183.3 | 222.2
----------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------

The tables on this and the opposite page show the same general trend of mortality in New York State that is exhibited in the Registration States generally and wherever reliable statistics are obtainable. It will be noted, however, that there is little change in the mortality rate among women until age sixty, when a decidedly increased mortality rate is shown comparing 1910 with 1900. It will also be noted that this unfavorable trend in mortality in later life is manifested among native whites, foreign born and colored citizens alike.

COMPARISON OF EXPECTATIONS OF LIFE, NEW YORK CITY, ENGLAND AND WALES, AND LONDON

---------+-------------------------------------------------------------
| New York City[R] || England and || London[S]
| 1909-1911. || Wales[S] || 1911-1912.
Ages | || 1910-1912. ||
+---------+---------||---------+---------||---------+---------
| Males | Females || Males | Females || Males | Females
---------+---------+---------||---------+---------||---------+---------
At birth| 44.55 | 48.8 || 51.50 | 55.35 || ... | ...
10 | 46.95 | 50.4 || 53.08 | 55.91 || ... | ...
20 | 38.26 | 41.7 || 44.21 | 47.10 || 42.35 | 46.71
30 | 30.34 | 33.6 || 35.81 | 38.54 || 33.87 | 37.94
40 | 23.34 | 26.2 || 27.74 | 30.30 || 26.03 | 29.67
50 | 17.11 | 19.1 || 20.29 | 22.51 || 19.09 | 22.17
60 | 11.71 | 12.9 || 13.78 | 15.48 || 13.09 | 15.39
70 | 7.66 | 8.2 || 8.53 | 9.58 || 8.17 | 9.57
80 | 4.66 | 4.9 || 4.90 | 5.49 || 4.79 | 5.39
90 | 2.24 | 2.8 || 2.87 | 3.16 || 2.75 | 3.10
---------+---------+--------------------+--------------------+---------

The above tables show, both among males and females, that the expectation of life is greater at every ago period in England and Wales and in London than in New York.

[R] Annual Report, Department of Health, City of New York, 1912, pp. 176-177.

[S] Supplement to the Seventy-Fifth Annual Report of the Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages in England and Wales.