Vital Statistics

The Bureau of the Census announced its mortality statistics for 1922.

General. The general deathrate for the registration area* was 11.8 per 1,000 population. This is an increase of 0.2 over the 1921 rate of 11.6, but is still considerably below the 1920 rate of 13.1. The general deathrate during the present century has declined from 17.6 in 1900 and the reduction has been fairly regular with the exception of the influenza year (1918), when the rate ballooned to 18.1.

The highest death-rates for states were in Maine and Vermont, which each had 14.7 per 1,000. The lowest were in Idaho and Montana, with 8.1 and 8.6 respectively. Five states showed slight decreases--Michigan, Mississippi, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Virginia.

Among the 67 registration cities of more than 100,000 population, Memphis had the worst record, with

17.8 per 1,000. New Orleans, Nashville, Denver and Fall River had 16 or more. Southern cities usually have higher death-rates because of the higher mortality among Negroes. Akron was the banner health city of the year, reaching the record low mark of 7.5, and taking the palm from Seattle, which however was still second with 9.6. Fort Worth and Milwaukee also hung up good marks.

Tuberculosis. Tuberculosis deaths declined from 99.8 per 100,000 population for 1921 to 97.4 for 1922. In the five years 1918-1922, the rate was cut from 150 to 97.4. The total number of tuberculosis deaths in the registration area was 90,452. Twelve states showed slight increases, but these were more than balanced by the reductions in 22 states. The highest rate was in Colorado, 183.3 per 100,000, but this is due in large part to the many deaths of tuberculosis patients attracted there for the climate. The lowest rate was in Nebraska, with 36.5.

Cancer. On the other hand, cancer deaths, which for a number of years have been climbing steadily, increased to 80,938, or a rate of 86.8 per 100,000, which is 0.8 more than the 1921 rate. In 1918 the rate was 80.3. Cancer is now the fourth killing disease in America, topped only by organic heart diseases, pneumonia, tuberculosis. Whether the increased cancer rate is actual or merely apparent on account of earlier diagnosis and improved registration is a question which has not been settled by hygienists. Only five states--Colorado, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Wisconsin--showed lower cancer mortality in 1922 than in 1921. New Hampshire had the highest rate, 136.9, and South Carolina the lowest, 38.8.

England. The British Registrar General announced the year's figures for England and Wales almost simultaneously. The deathrate was 12.8 per 1,000, an increase over 1921, when it was 12.1. The British deathrate is lower than that of any other major European country, and would be still lower if corrected for a normal age and sex distribution, which has been sadly out of kilter since the war.

A new low record for infant mortality was made with 77 per 1,000 births, scarcely more than half the 1901 rate of 151. But the improve- ment is more than offset by the unprecedentedly low birthrate of 20.4 per 1,000 living. The total births (780,124) were fewer than in any year, with the exception of the war years, since 1869, when England had but 22,000,000 population. Male births are still greatly in excess of female, the ratio being 1,049 to 1,000.

*The U. S. Registration Area for deaths includes 34 states, with 85% of the total population.