348 



Harry Auerbach 



persons alive at the beginning of the year of the specified age, who die during 

 that year of all causes. The countries tested were United States, Canada, 

 Israel (Jewish population), India, Union of South Africa (Asian population), 

 Brazil, Japan, Portugal, Belgian Congo (African population), Costa Rica, 

 El Salvador, Argentina, Ceylon, Finland, France and Norway. Similar sixth 

 power relationships were exhibited by all. Deviations from linearity at 



10 000 r 



5000 - 



2000 - 



1000 r ^___ 



o 

 o 

 o 

 o 

 o 



a: 



UJ 



a. 



< 



< 



UJ 



o 



500 



200 - 



100 - 



12.5 17.5 22.5 27.5 32.5 42.5 52.5 62.5 72.5 82.5 



37.5 47.5 57.5 675 775 675 



AGE 



Fig. 1 . Log-log plots showing the relationship of death rate to age in United 



States white males (1949-1951) for broad groups of causes of death. Solid lines, 



chronic causes ; dotted lines, acute causes. 



younger ages were always in the direction of the actual figures being higher 

 than the extrapolated values. 



On the basis of the demonstrated log-log sixth power Hnear plot of the 

 chronic degenerative diseases, and the nonlinearity of the acute causes of 

 death, an attempt was made to determine the relationship of acute causes to 

 chronic degenerative causes in the total death rate. Life table values of q^ 

 for United States wliite males for three periods, 1900-1902, 1929-1931, and 

 1949-1951, were plotted against age on the log-log basis. The usual departures 

 from linearity at earher ages were marked in the 1900-1902 period, less so in 

 the 1929-1931 period, and still less in the 1949-1951 period, but all three curves 

 tended to merge into a common straight sixth power line at the age of forty 



