THE CHANCES OF DEATH 



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one-tenth of their number, there being only 88,538 sur- 

 viving at the beginning of the second year of life. In 

 the next year 2,446 drop out, and in the year following 

 that 1,062. Then the line of survivors drops off more 

 slowly between the period of youth and early adult life. 

 At 40 years of age, almost exactly 30,000 of the original 

 100,000 have passed away, and from that point on the I , 

 line descends with ever increasing rapidity, until about 



w>«5 or urc 



Fig. 18. — Life table diagram. For explanation see text. 



age 80, when it once more begins to drop more slowly, 

 and the last few survivors pass out gradually, a few each 

 year until something over the century mark is reached, 

 when the last one of the 100,000 who started across the 

 bridge of life together will have ended his journey. 



This diagram is a graphic representation of that im- 

 portant type of document known as a life or mortality 

 table. It puts the facts of mortality and longevity in their 

 best form for comparative purposes. The first such 

 table actually to be computed in anything like the modern 

 fashion was made by the astronomer, Dr. E. Halley, and 



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