162 



BIOLOGY OF DEATH 



TABLE 16 a 



Showing Fisher's ratios of preventability for the diseases enumerated in the 



mortality statistics of the United States, together with the relative 



importance of each disease as indicated by the percentage the 



number of its deaths bears to the total number of deaths 



Causes of death 



1 Premature birth 



2 Congenital malformation of the heart 



3 Other congenital malformations 



4 Congenital debility 



5 Hydrocephalus 



6 Venereal diseases 



7 Diarrhoea and enteritis 



8 Measles 



9 Acute bronchitis 



10 Bronchopneumonia 



11 Whooping cough 



12 Croup 



13 Meningitis 



14 Diseases of larynx not laryngitis 



15 Laryngitis 



16 Diphtheria 



1 7 Scarlet fever 



18 Diseases of lymphatics 



19 Tonsillitis 



20 Tetanus 



21 Tuberculosis not of lungs 



22 Abscess 



23 Appendicitis 



24 Typhoid fever 



25 Puerperal convulsions 



26 Puerperal septicaemia 



27 Other diseases of childbirth 



28 Diseases of tubes 



29 Peritonitis 



30 Smallpox 



31 Tuberculosis of lungs 



32 Violence 



33 Malarial fever 



34 Septicsemia 



35 Epilepsy 



36 General, ill-defined, and unknown causes (in- 



cluding "heart failure," "dropsy," and "con- 

 vulsions") , 



37 Erysipelas 



38 Pneumonia (lobar and unqualified) 



39 Acute nephritis 



40 Pleurisy 



41 Acute yellow atrophy of liver , 



42 Obstructions of intestines. . 



Prominence of 



disease. Per cent. 



of all deaths 



2.0 



.55 



.3 

 2.3 



.1 



.3 

 7.74 



.8 

 1.1 

 2.4 



.9 



.3 

 1.6 



.07 



.06 

 1.4 



.5 



.01 



.05 



.19 



.17 



.08 



.7 

 2.0 



.2 



.4 



.36 



.1 



.5 



.01 

 9.9 

 7.5 



.2 



.3 



.29 



9.2 



.3 

 7.0 



.6 



.27 



.02 



.6 



Ratio of 



preventability. 



Per cent. 



40 

 

 



40 

 



70 

 60 

 40 

 30 

 50 

 40 

 75 

 70 

 40 

 40 

 70 

 50 

 20 

 45 

 80 

 75 

 60 

 50 

 85 

 30 

 85 

 50 

 65 

 55 

 75 

 75 

 35 

 80 

 40 

 



30 

 60 

 45 

 30 

 55 

 

 25 



