Page:Science vol. 5.djvu/411

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��a ilifferenlly selected group. It is of twenty- six membcrB of the corps of the Northern tranacontioentnl survey, —au organization of which I had chat^e, nnrt the ohject of which waa an economic survey of the north-western territories. It was a corps of men carefully selected as thoroughly trained in their respec- tive de[Mirtments of applied geology, topog- raphy, and chemistry, and having tlic physique and energj-, as well as intelligence, needed to execute such a task in face of many ob- stacles. The average age of this group waa thirty years. Raphael Plmfelly.

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��MORTAUTY EXPERIENCE OF THE CONNECTICUT MUTUAL LIFE-IN- SURANCE COMPANY.

There is a popular snperstitlon, almost uni- versat among our transatlantic cousins, and widely spread in our owu country, that Amer- icans are shortening their days by hard work, and inattention to the laws of healthy living. Our readers may remember, that, when Mr. Uerbert Spencer first arrived in this country, he immediately began lecturing us on ibis sub- ject. No surer test of this question can be found thau that of mortality statistics, because those who insure their lives belong princi- pally' to the very class, who, according to the superstition, are most actively engaged in their own extermination. The tables recently pub- lished under the above title are therefore of great interest. The fulness of detail, and vari- ety of form, in which the resnlts are presented, facilitate their discussion. It therefore seems worth while to point out the most interesting results obtained. The fact thus brought out is, that at the very ages when mortality from over-work should most powerfully show itself, namely, from thirty to sixty, the American mortality is more than one-third less than the English, as shown bj- the combined exiierience table, and is constantly diminishing.

There are, however, reasons why we should not expect the death-rate shown by the expe- rience of a life-insurance company to coiucide with the rate amongst the community at large. Inatux^d lives are not taken at random from the uity, but form a select body. Only a limited class possess the foresight and interest in the future which would induce them to in- sure their lives. Out of that limited class, the insurance company selects only those whose viability is free from serious doubt. This selection, of course, tends to result in the in- sured class having belter lives than the com-

��munity at lat^c. There is, however, a tendency in the opposite direction, which may be opera- tive to a limited extent. A jwrson who has reason to suspect his viability wilt have a stronger motive to get insured than one who does not. There is. however, no evidence that this cause has resulted in the lowering of the standaid among the insured generally.

One result of the selection exercised by the company is obvious, and has frequently been pointed out by writers on the subject. Out of the class of men with good constitutions, the company selects only those who are, for the time being, in good health. With those who are going to die, symptoms of disease fre- quently appear weeks, months, or even years before actus! death. The probability of a healthy person dying within the year following his examination by the li fe- insurance company is therefore less than the probability that he will die in the second year; and this, again, is still less thau the probability that he will die in the third year. It has commonly been sup- posed that three years would have to elapse after the examination, before the probability reached its normal point. It is remarkable that the table now before us exhibits this effect in a much smaller degree than usual. The death-rate during the first two years of insur- ance is less by perhaps teu per cent than the general rate at all ages. During the third j*ear it is actually less than during the second. Instead of attaining its maximum at the end of the third year, it continues to inci-ease, and it does not reach the regular curve until the sixth year. It would seem that while the company gains a certain advantage during the first five 3'ears, through its privilege of selection, that advantage is far leas during the first year than would have been supposed, and f^r less than common experience has hitherto shown it to be.

Another remarkable result, which we wish had been explained more fully, is the extraor- dtnarj' death-rate among the younger class. This is more strongly shown among natives of the United States than among the insured at large. From the age of twenty -one to ninety, the death-rate follows the table of mortality very closely, but is uniformly from fifteen to twenty per-cent less than the tabular rate. But among native Americans, between the ages of seven and twenty, the rate is forty jjer cent greater than that given by the American table. The actual nnmber of those who died was forty- seven, while the table gives only thirty-three deaths. The case is rendered yet more strik- ing by the consideration that the mortality of the American table at the eariy ages is greater

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