Page:Alcohol, a Dangerous and Unnecessary Medicine.djvu/441

Rh The Scottish Temperance Life from 1883 to 1902 gave the following: Abstainers, expected deaths, 936; actual deaths, 420, or 45 per cent, of the expected. Non-abstainers, expected deaths, 319; actual deaths, 225, or 71 per cent, of the expected.

Mr. Van Cise goes on to show that the statistics which have been published from time to time, giving the percentages of mortality in the various occupations of life, invariably show a higher death-rate among those engaged in the liquor business than among those engaged in other lines of work, except such as are specially hazardous. He says:

'The higher death-rate among liquor dealers is so universally recognized by life assurance companies that a number of them will not issue policies, even on the lives of the richest brewers, upon any terms, and not one of the companies, to my knowledge, admits liquor dealers upon as advantageous terms as those engaged in other ordinary occupations.' He then quotes from a circular sent to the agency force of a prominent United States company, in which attention is called to a rule which forbids the taking of any risks on bar tenders: 'Saloonkeepers, generally, not taken, but best of this class may be accepted on 10 or 15 year endowments only.' Others connected more remotely with the liquor business might be taken with a charge of $5.00 per thousand extra. The circular of instructions adds that the limitations of liquor dealers are made necessary 'by the very excessive rate of mortality found to exist among persons so employed.'

Mr. Van Cise closed his address before the Actuaries' Society by saying: 'I contend that the facts given in this paper show conclusively that the effect of total abstinence is to lower the death-rate, and increase the average duration of human life.'

The Equitable Company had a section for total abstainers for a few years which was discontinued on account of the new insurance laws which came into effect in 1907. The actuary writes in response to inquiry : 'We are very careful in our selection of risks, and only those who drink in