THE PROGRESS OF SCIENCE 



411 



THE PEOGEESS OF SCIENCE 



MOETALITT STATISTICS OF THE 

 UNITED STATES 



The Bureau of the Census has pub- 

 lished its thirteenth annual report on 

 mortality statistics, this report for 

 1912 following closely on that for 1911. 

 The death rate in the registration area, 

 which now includes about two thirds of 

 the population, fell from 14.2 for each 

 thousand of the population in 1911 to 

 13.9 in 1912. There are always fluctua- 



tions in the death rate due to weather 

 conditions, epidemics, etc., but, as 

 shown in the chart taken from the re- 

 port, the death rate has steadily de- 

 creased from 17.6 in 1900. This 

 means that in so short a period the sav- 

 ing of human lives in this country 

 amounts to about 350,000 a year, a 

 statement which it is difficult to ap- 

 preciate at its true magnitude. In 

 1880 the death rate was 19.8. If we 



1800 1901 1902 1903 1904 1906 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 



1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1906 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 19 



