Death Rate Decreased

The U. S. was healthier in 1927 than it was in 1926. Out of each 100,000 inhabitants only 823.5 people died in 1927, as compared with 878.1 in 1926. These figures, announced last week, were based on the combined report of 52 leading U. S. life insurance companies of death claims among thier policyholders.

The following table tells the causes of death and the rate per 100,000 persons:

Death Causes Showing Decreases

1927 1926
Organic heart diseases. . . . . . . . . . 126.9 128.3
Tuberculosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77.9 83.8
Pneumonia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70.3 89.9
Bright's disease. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63.1 67.8
Cerebral Hemorrage . . . . . . . . . . . 54.3 20.4
Diarrhea and enteritis . . . . . . . . . . 15.8 20.4
Influenza . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.6 25.6
Puerperal state . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.2 10.4
Homicides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.2 6.3
Typhoid Fever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.1 4.1
Whooping cough . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.8 5.9
Measles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.3 6.6
Scarlet Fever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.8 2.0
Unspecified causes . . . . . . . . . . . . 206.1 211.0
---- ----
Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 656.4 718.3

Death Causes Showing Increases

1927 1926
Cancer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72.3 71.1
Automobile accidents . . . . . . . . . . . 18.1 16.5
Suicides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.4 12.3
Unspecified respiratory diseases . . 11.4 11.1
Diphtheria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.9 5.1
Meningitis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.8 2.9
Unspecified external causes . . . . . . . 42.2 40.8
---- ----
Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167.1 159.8
---- ----
Grand Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 823.5 878.1