DEATH RATES IN A GROUP OF INSURED PERSONS.

COMPARISON OF DEATH RATES FOR PRINCIPAL CAUSES OF DEATH, MAY AND JUNE, 1923, AND RATES FOR WHITE AND COLORED FOR FIRST SIX MONTHS OF 1921, 1922, AND 1923.

The accompanying tables are taken from the Statistical Bulletin of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. for July, 1923. They present the mortality experience of the industrial insurance department of the company for May and June, 1923, and a comparison of the rates for white and colored policyholders for the years 1921, 1922, and 1923. The rates are based on a strength of approximately 14.500.000 insured persons.

The death rate for this group of persons for June, 1923 (8.7 per 1.000), is stated to be the lowest ever recorded for that month. It shows a decline of 3.6 per cent as compared with June, 1922, and of 7.1 per cent as compared with May, 1923. With the exception of pneumonia, all of the diseases of primary numerical importance registered lower death rates than those recorded for June, 1922, and, excepting cancer, declines from the rates for May, 1923, are also shown.

Death rates (annual basis) for principal causes per 100,000 lives exposed, May and June, 1923, and June and year 1922.

Notwithstanding the high gross death rate in this group in the early part of the year, extending through March, largely chargeable to the influenza outbreak, the drop in mortality during April, May, and June brought the death among the white policyholders during the first half of 1923 to only one-third of 1 per cent increase over that for the corresponding period of 1922, and the rate among the colored persons to an excess of 4.2 per cent over that for the corresponding period of the previous year.

Among the encouraging features of the health record for the first half of 1923 the outstanding item is stated to be the continued decline in the death rate for tuberculosis, which predicts a new low rate for this year. Other encouraging items are the decline in cancer mortality, the drop in the death rate for puerperal diseases, a comparatively low pneumonia death rate, despite the influenza epidemic, and a decrease in diphtheria mortality. The rates for measles and whooping cough, on the other hand, are much higher than those recorded for the first half of 1922, the rate for measles among the white persons of this group being more than double and among the colored six times the rate for the first half of last year.

It is stated that 241 deaths (3.3 per 100,000) were caused by alcoholism during the first six months of 1923, as compared with 133 deaths (2 per 100,000) from the same cause during the corresponding period of 1922. In addition to the number above, 20 deaths were reported from wood and denatured alcohol poisoning during the first half of the current year.

Death rates (annual basis) for principal causes per 100,000 persons exposed, for white and colored policyholders, first six months of 1921, 1922, and 1923.

[Industrial department, Metropolitan Life Insurance Co.]

DEATHS DURING WEEK ENDED AUGUST 4, 1923.

Summary of information received by telegraph from industrial insurance companies for week ending August 4, 1923, and corresponding week of 1922. (From the Weekly Health Inder, August 11, 1923, issued by the Bureau of the Census, Department of Commerce.)

Policies in force.....

Number of death claims...

Death claims per 1,000 policies in force, annual rate......

Deaths from all causes in certain large cities of the United States during the week ended August 4, 1923, infant mortality, annual death rate, and comparison with corresponding week of 1922. (From the Weekly Health Index, August 11, 1923, issued by the Bureau of the Census, Department of Commerce.)

1 Annual rate per 1,000 population.

10.8

8.9

75

Deaths under 1 year per 1,000 births-an annual rate based on deaths under 1 year for the week and estimated births for 1922. Cities left blank are not in the registration area for births.

Deaths for week ended Friday, Aug. 3, 1923.

Deaths from all causes in certain large citics of the United States during the week ended August 4, 1923, infent mortelity, annuel death rate, and comparison with correspondi weck of 1922. (From the Weekly Health Index, August 11, 1923, issued by the Burea of the Census, Department of Commerce.)—Continued.

PREVALENCE OF DISEASE.

No health department, State or local, can effectively prevent or control disease without knowledge of when, where, and under what conditions cases are occurring.

UNITED STATES.

CURRENT STATE SUMMARIES.

These reports are preliminary, and the figures are subject to change when later returns are received by the State health officers.