﻿LENGTHENING 
  OF 
  HUMAN 
  LIFE 
  FISHER 
  537 
  

  

  death 
  incidence 
  between 
  the 
  ages 
  of 
  23 
  and 
  49) 
  at 
  least 
  6.8 
  years 
  could 
  

   be 
  added, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  total 
  prolongation 
  of 
  life 
  which 
  would 
  come 
  

   from 
  applying 
  all 
  the 
  preventabilities 
  was 
  about 
  15 
  years. 
  B. 
  H. 
  

   I^'orsyth 
  by 
  more 
  refined 
  methods 
  obtained 
  13 
  years 
  (26). 
  Figure 
  I 
  

   shows 
  the 
  survivorship 
  curve 
  (for 
  Massachusetts, 
  1893-1897), 
  the 
  

   latest 
  available 
  in 
  1909, 
  and 
  what 
  was 
  claimed 
  in 
  1909 
  as 
  possible. 
  

  

  SOME 
  HOPES 
  REALIZED 
  

  

  These 
  figures 
  took 
  no 
  account 
  of 
  future 
  advances 
  in 
  preventive 
  

   science. 
  They 
  signified 
  merely 
  what 
  could 
  be 
  attained 
  by 
  applying 
  

   knowledge 
  existing 
  in 
  1908. 
  This 
  forecast 
  of 
  15 
  years 
  to 
  be 
  added 
  

   to 
  the 
  human 
  lease 
  of 
  life, 
  though 
  extremely 
  conservative, 
  seemed 
  

   preposterous 
  to 
  many 
  when 
  published, 
  just 
  as 
  to-day 
  the 
  Stephen 
  

   Smith 
  resolution 
  setting 
  a 
  goal 
  of 
  20 
  years 
  seems 
  to 
  many 
  quite 
  pre- 
  

   posterous. 
  It 
  is 
  therefore 
  interesting 
  to 
  note 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  17 
  short 
  

   years 
  since 
  the 
  report 
  on 
  national 
  vitality 
  was 
  published 
  most 
  of 
  

   the 
  preventabilities 
  then 
  estimated 
  as 
  possible 
  have 
  already 
  been 
  

   realized, 
  and 
  that 
  almost 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  15 
  years 
  calculated 
  as 
  attainable 
  

   have 
  actually 
  been 
  attained. 
  

  

  Thus 
  Dublin 
  tells 
  us 
  in 
  1922 
  that 
  since 
  1911 
  tuberculosis 
  has 
  de- 
  

   clined 
  50 
  per 
  cent 
  among 
  those 
  insured 
  in 
  the 
  Metropolitan 
  Life 
  In- 
  

   surance 
  Co. 
  and 
  almost 
  as 
  much 
  in 
  the 
  general 
  population 
  of 
  a 
  num- 
  

   ber 
  of 
  progressive 
  cities; 
  this 
  50 
  per 
  cent 
  already 
  attained 
  is 
  two- 
  

   thirds 
  of 
  the 
  preventability 
  set 
  down 
  for 
  tuberculosis 
  in 
  1909. 
  That 
  

   the 
  remaining 
  third 
  is 
  easily 
  attainable 
  is 
  indicated 
  by 
  the 
  tubercu- 
  

   losis 
  demonstration 
  in 
  Framingham, 
  Mass., 
  conducted 
  by 
  the 
  Metro- 
  

   politan 
  Life 
  Insurance 
  Co. 
  There 
  the 
  death 
  rate 
  fell 
  69 
  per 
  cent 
  in 
  

   only 
  seven 
  years; 
  this 
  is 
  almost 
  the 
  total 
  75 
  per 
  cent 
  preventability 
  

   set 
  down 
  in 
  1909. 
  

  

  Typhoid 
  fever 
  has 
  declined 
  87i/2 
  per 
  cent 
  as 
  against 
  the 
  85 
  per 
  

   cent 
  set 
  down 
  as 
  possible 
  in 
  1909. 
  Diphtheria 
  has 
  declined 
  44 
  per 
  

   cent 
  as 
  against 
  the 
  70 
  per 
  cent 
  set 
  down, 
  and 
  now 
  we 
  know 
  that 
  

   diphtheria 
  can 
  be 
  practically 
  wiped 
  out. 
  It 
  was 
  recently 
  announced 
  

   by 
  the 
  American 
  Museum 
  of 
  Safety 
  that 
  : 
  

  

  Twenty 
  years 
  of 
  accident 
  prevention 
  in 
  the 
  plants 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Steel 
  

   Corporation 
  had 
  resulted 
  in 
  a 
  reduction 
  of 
  more 
  than 
  60 
  per 
  cent 
  in 
  fatal 
  

   accidents 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  reduction 
  of 
  more 
  than 
  SO 
  per 
  cent 
  in 
  less 
  serious 
  injuries 
  

   to 
  workmen. 
  

  

  In 
  my 
  1909 
  report 
  only 
  35 
  per 
  cent 
  was 
  set 
  down 
  as 
  the 
  preventa- 
  

   bility 
  of 
  deaths 
  by 
  violence. 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  the 
  coming 
  of 
  the 
  

   automobile 
  has 
  greatly 
  increased 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  street 
  accidents. 
  

   Automobile 
  accidents 
  rose 
  from 
  8 
  per 
  million 
  of 
  population 
  in 
  1908, 
  

   to 
  149 
  in 
  1923. 
  Consequently 
  deaths 
  from 
  violence 
  (now 
  called 
  " 
  ex- 
  

  

  