THE JEWS: RACE AND ENVIRONMENT 35 



years was more marked among the christians: In 1891 the Jewish 

 mortality was 57.58 per cent, of the christian mortality, while in 1903 

 it was 63.47 per cent., which indicates that they are approaching the 

 mortality rates of their non-Jewish neighbors. Data for Warsaw, 

 Poland, show the same process: In 1882 the mortality was, Jews 24.48, 

 general population 32.34; in 1891, Jews 20.27, general population 

 23.05; 1896, Jews 20.42, general population 23.54; in 1901, Jews 

 18.22, general population 21.22. All this indicates that in recent years 

 the differences in the mortality between Jews and christians are being 

 obliterated. 



Death is a biological phenomenon, and can not be influenced by 

 purely ethical or metaphysical factors, such as, for instance, religion, 

 when Jews are compared with christians. Differences in religion are 

 consequently not sufficient to explain the differences in the mortality 

 rates between Jews and non-Jews. Nor can racial affinities explain 

 completely the low mortality of the Jews, because physically the Jews 

 bear a striking resemblance to the non-Jewish races and peoples among 

 whom they live, and also because the differences in the rates are too 

 large in each country to admit racial uniformity. A study of differ- 

 ences in social and economic conditions is more fruitful of results. 

 Thus, in Budapest the death rate of the Jews was only 69.47 per cent, 

 of that of the christians. But, as is aptly pointed out by Korosi, ac- 

 cording to the census of 1891, out of every 1,000 inhabitants there were 

 common laborers, among the catholics 118, among the Lutherans 125, 

 among the Jews only 67; domestic servants were found, among 1,000 

 catholics 95, Lutherans 98, and among the Jews only 17; merchants 

 were found, among 1,000 catholics 20, Lutherans 36, while among the 

 Jews the figure was 131. These social differences are of sufficient im- 

 portance to greatly influence the death rates and to account for the 

 favorable showing made by the Jews. As is well known, certain occu- 

 pations are more deadly than others. When to this are added other 

 social factors which differentiate the Jews from the christians, such as 

 the rarity of alcoholism and illegitimacy among the former, and the 

 proverbial care bestowed by them on their offspring, thus contributing 

 to a low infant mortality, the effects of the social factors become 

 apparent. 



Infant Mortality 

 All this is depicted in a striking manner when infantile mortality 

 among Jews is considered. It appears, namely, from all available data 

 that the Jews do not have the advantage over others when deaths of 

 adults, particularly persons over fifty, are compared. It is only during 

 infancy and childhood that fewer deaths occur among them. In 

 Prussia, where the mortality rates are classified in the census reports 



