ERRORS REGARDING THE DURATION OF LIFE. 139 



have taken place iu consequence. Should the city of 

 Salem have gained in population as large a percentage as 

 Holyoke did, the city would have had as large a death 

 rate under five as Holyoke had, and would have been 

 called the most unhealthy city in the state, and the State 

 Board of Health would have had a special report on your 

 city, with a map showing the causes of the great death 

 rate under five years, as they did of Holyoke. They had 

 three maps of Holyoke, and after a thorough investigation 

 they report : " As far as situation and surroundings are 

 concerned, Holyoke should be a healtiiy place," and Hol- 

 yoke is a healthy place, and the death rate is no greater 

 than the average of Massachusetts. The mistake is in 

 our registration officers and State Board of Health. 

 They leave out of the calculation the increase of popu- 

 lation. Holyoke, in 1865, a town of 5,648, becomes a 

 city in 1875, of 16,260, having added to her population 

 10,612 in the eleven years. The children under five years 

 of this 10,612 are left out of the count, the number being 

 1,750. With this 1,750 left out, the deaths under five 

 are 52 per cent ; with the number added, thirty-six per 

 cent, which makes Holyoke as healthy as the state aver- 

 ages. So of the other cities of the state : they are con- 

 sidered unhealthy just in proportion to the percentage of 

 the increase of population. The greater the increase of 

 population the greater the death rate under five will be. 

 Holyoke is very much annoyed by these reports. People 

 coming there to settle, the first question they ask is, "Is 

 Holyoke a healthy city ? " and it is a healthy city, and the 

 citizens say it is healthy. They are met with the remark 

 that' it is the most unhealthy place in the state, and the 

 report of our registration officers and State Board of 

 health are given as authority. These reports based on 

 ignorance are doing a great amount of mischief. Suppose 



