34 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



mortality rate was found among 10,618 Jewish families, including 

 60,630 persons living in the United States December 31, 1889. In 

 the figures published in Census Bulletin No. 19 (Washington, December 

 30, 1890) it appears that the death rate was only 7.11 per 1,000, which 

 is but ' little more than half the annual death rate among other persons 

 of the same social class and conditions living in this country.' 



The low death rates of the Jews are more strikingly demonstrated 

 when compared with the mortality of the christian population of the 

 countries in which they live. This is done in the fourth column of figures 

 in the table; the mortality of the non- Jewish population is taken as 

 100. It is seen that the Jewish death rate in Algeria is but 89 per 

 cent, of the mortality of the other Europeans in that country; in 

 Bavaria it is a little over, and in European Eussia even less than, fifty 

 per cent, of the christian mortality. In other words, the death rates 

 of the Jews are from eleven to fifty per cent, less than those of the 

 christians. 



These favorable mortality rates of the Jews are not a recent phe- 

 nomenon. At all times when statistics on the subject were compiled 

 it was found to be the case. The censuses of Prussia give some very 

 interesting figures in this connection. The rates since 1820 were as 

 follows : 



Average Annual Mortality per 1,000 



Year Jews Christians 



1820-66 20.40 



1878-82 17.53 25.23 



1888-92 15.71 23.26 



1893-97 14.73 21.84 



1900 14.96 21.70 



1904 14.22 20.44 



It is thus seen that the mortality in Prussia has been sinking in 

 recent years among both Jews and christians, decreasing by about 

 twenty per cent, since 1878 in both groups. This is of*course to be 

 attributed to advancement in economic, social, hygienic and sanitary 

 conditions. But it is remarkable that there is no change in the ratio 

 of Jewish to the christian mortality; it was in 1878 sixty-nine per cent. 

 of the mortality of the christian and remained the same in 1904. 

 Hungary is another country where reliable statistics are available for 

 fifteen years. The figures are as follows: 



Deaths per 1,000 



Year Jews Christians 



1891-95 19.07 33.12 



1896-1900 16.87 27.62 



1901 16.95 25.94 



1902 17.42 27.89 



1903 17.29 27.24 



Here it is to be noted that the mortality of the Jews was in 1891 

 more favorable than in 1903. The decrease during the last fifteen 



