﻿536 
  

  

  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1927 
  

  

  extension. 
  For 
  instance, 
  it 
  was 
  estimated 
  that 
  deaths 
  from 
  tuber- 
  

   culosis 
  could 
  be 
  prevented 
  by 
  75 
  per 
  cent, 
  thereby 
  adding 
  2.5 
  years 
  

   to 
  human 
  life; 
  those 
  from 
  diarrhea 
  and 
  enteritis, 
  60 
  per 
  cent, 
  adding 
  

   2.3 
  years; 
  erysipelas, 
  30 
  per 
  cent, 
  adding 
  0.9 
  year; 
  acute 
  nephritis, 
  

   45 
  per 
  cent, 
  adding 
  0.9 
  year; 
  typhoid 
  fever, 
  85 
  per 
  cent, 
  adding 
  0,6 
  

  

  CHART 
  I 
  

  

  SURVIVORSHIP. 
  CURVES 
  

   Massachusetts 
  1893-97 
  

  

  AND 
  

  

  Possible 
  1909 
  (Fishee) 
  

  

  .?M5| 
  ill! 
  

  

  if 
  

  

  rlOO 
  

  

  -80 
  

  

  -60 
  

  

  40 
  

  

  -20 
  

  

  Fig. 
  1. 
  — 
  Showing 
  distribution 
  of 
  an 
  average 
  group 
  of 
  100 
  human 
  beings 
  arranged 
  by 
  the 
  

   number 
  of 
  years 
  each 
  person 
  lived, 
  and 
  also 
  showing 
  graphically 
  these 
  years. 
  The 
  100 
  

   vertical 
  bars 
  in 
  this 
  chart 
  represent 
  100 
  persons 
  iu 
  a 
  representative 
  group. 
  The 
  height 
  

   of 
  the 
  bars 
  shows 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  years 
  of 
  life 
  enjoyed 
  by 
  each 
  person. 
  The 
  black 
  bars 
  

   portray 
  conditions 
  in 
  Massachusetts 
  in 
  the 
  nineties 
  and 
  the 
  gray 
  portion 
  added 
  to 
  

   each 
  of 
  these 
  black 
  bars 
  shows 
  how 
  many 
  additional 
  years 
  of 
  life 
  each 
  person 
  was 
  

   entitled 
  to, 
  according 
  to 
  Professor 
  Fisher's 
  estimate, 
  made 
  in 
  1909, 
  and 
  what 
  would 
  

   be 
  the 
  possible 
  improvement 
  which 
  could 
  be 
  expected 
  

   Chart 
  II 
  shows 
  that 
  Professor 
  Fisher's 
  estimate 
  had 
  already 
  been 
  nearly 
  reached 
  

  

  throughout 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  registration 
  area 
  by 
  1917. 
  

  

  year 
  ; 
  diphtheria, 
  70 
  per 
  cent, 
  adding 
  0.5 
  year. 
  Cancer 
  was 
  set 
  down 
  

   with 
  a 
  zero 
  preventability, 
  and 
  diabetes 
  was 
  set 
  down 
  with 
  only 
  a 
  10 
  

   per 
  cent 
  preventability. 
  

  

  The 
  chief 
  net 
  results 
  (1)^ 
  were 
  that, 
  by 
  preventing 
  diseases 
  of 
  in- 
  

   fancy, 
  at 
  least 
  4.4 
  j^ears 
  could 
  be 
  added 
  to 
  the 
  average 
  duration 
  of 
  

   life; 
  by 
  preventing 
  diseases 
  of 
  middle 
  life 
  (diseases 
  having 
  a 
  median 
  

  

  2 
  Numbers 
  in 
  parentheses 
  designate 
  references 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  this 
  article. 
  

  

  