In the mortality statistics for 1910, two years later, the registration area, which included in 1910 an estimated midyear population of 58.3 per cent. of the total population of continental United States, the deaths reported were 805,412, representing a death rate of 15 per 1,000 population. The death rate for 1909 was only 14.4 per 1,000. While these variations are marked, the work has not been carried on for a sufficient length of time to do more than to warrant an expression of opinion that the death rate in this country is generally receding. It varies as shown, on both sides, having decreased very considerably from 1907 to 1909, but increased to a very marked degree in 1910 over 1909. The registration area covers the following States in toto, and some of the principal cities in the other States: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina (municipalities of 1,000 population and over in 1900), Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.
The extension of the system of registration to a larger area and number of population and the improvement in the efficiency of securing data are all to be considered in comparisons of very small periods of time. For one hundred million of population a death rate of 15 per 1,000 indicates a total of 1,500,000 deaths per annum. This figure may be accepted as being sufficiently accurate for all practical purposes at the present time as representing the death rate of today in the United States.
Comparing the United States with other countries and giving the expectation of life at birth as the basis of comparison, we may safely assume that the average expectation of life for the United States is in round numbers 44 years. Comparing this with the other countries we find that Sweden, Holland and New South Wales have a lower death rate than the United States. England, France, Belgium and Holland have almost the same death rate. The German Empire and Austria have a higher death rate. India is the banner country for shortness of life, the expectation of life in India being a little over half that in the United States.
WHAT ARE THE DISEASES WHICH ARE MOST ACTIVE IN CAUSING THE DEATH OF OUR PEOPLE?
In the registration area of 1910, 154,373 infants under one year of age died, in round numbers one-fifth of all the deaths. Assuming the total deaths to be 1,500,000, the number of children dying in the United States every year under the age of one year is 300,000. A striking illustration of the danger of the hot months for children under 2 years of age is shown by the fact that the number of deaths from diarrhœa and enteritis for July and August was 12,535 and 12,565 respectively, while in February the deaths from the same causes were 1,373. From these data it is evident that during the hot two months nearly 1,000 infants under the age of one year die every day in the United States.
The report of the Division of Vital Statistics shows that beginning with the second month of life diarrhœa is the most serious cause of infant mortality. While infantile diarrhœa and its allied disease, enteritis, is the most frequent cause of death among infants, the greatest destroyer of the human race, without respect to age, is tuberculosis, which caused 10.7 per cent. of the deaths from all causes in 1910. Next in importance in destructiveness is found organic disease of the heart, causing 9.5 per cent. of all the deaths. For all ages diarrhœa and enteritis come third in fatality with 7.8 per cent. Close after this comes pneumonia with 6.7 per cent. Kidney disease causes a mortality of 6.6 per cent.
The number of deaths from tuberculosis during the year 1910 was 160.3 per 100,000, or for 100,000,000 people 160,300. The death rate from tuberculosis from 1900 to 1909, inclusive, was 183 per 100,000. Apparently the death rate for tuberculosis is decreasing.
The number of deaths from cancer in 1910 was 76.2 per 100,000, or a total of 76,200; the highest death rate ever recorded from cancer. Evidently the deaths from career are increasing in proportion to the population.
I wish sometimes that every house in this country could be burned to the ground, if the people could escape. Why? Because tuberculosis and cancer are house diseases, and if every house were burned, we would not have them any more—at least until we built new houses. But we can purify our houses, we can live out doors, we can sleep out doors most of the year, and by the teaching and practicing of the principles of hygiene and sanitation we need not burn our houses at all. But people do not know, and worse than that, they do not care. They take no interest in such things. If you were discussing the tariff tonight, the house would not hold the people; if you were discussing trusts, there would be no standing room; but when you discuss this tariff on human life—they are not interested.
Organic disease of the heart: The number of deaths in 1910 was 141.5 per 100,000, which is a very large increase over that of the preceding year of 129.7 per 100,000. The total number of deaths from heart disease was 141,500.