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1927
17
at death was only 31.88 years, whilst in 1927 the average age
was 52.24 years. The expectation of life has increased over 20
years in that period. This improvement is not entirely due to
the altered age-distribution of the population nor to the greatly
lowered infantile mortality, because the improvement is seen in
the later ages of life, although not in the same degree. Because of
the success which has resulted from the work of infant life
preservation, we are apt to forget sometimes the fact that the
benefits accrue also in later years. A further examination of the
death returns of 1907 and 1927 shows that even if we exclude
the deaths under one year of age, the average age at death of the
others went up 43.66 to 57.37 years. The reduction of mortality
in children beween 1 and 5 years of age has been even greater
than the reduction which has occurred in the infantile mortality.
Even if we exclude the deaths of children under 5 years of age,
we find that the average age at death has gone up from 52 years
in 1907 to 59.34 in 1927. The average age at death of adults
has also been raised. If we take the average age at death of
persons over 15 years of age, it has gone up from 58.82 years
to 61 years. The following table shows the averages at death of
all persons who died and of those over 1 year, 5 years, and 15
years of age in the years 1905, 1907, and 1925 and 1927.
Average age at death.
1927 1926 1925 1907 1906 1905
years. years.
Persons of all ages 52.24 50.87 51.83 31.88 31.85 33.07
Of persons over 1 year 57.37 56.06 58.93 43.66 44.55 45.22
„ „ „ 5 yrs. 59.34 59.25 61.31 52. 54. 50.92
,, ,, ,, 15 yrs. 61. 61.04 62.69 58.82 57.18 55.8
It will be seen from the above figures that the improvement
which has taken place in the early years has also extended to the
middle years of life. This improvement has taken place in respect
of almost all diseases. The most notable exceptions are Heart
Disease and Cancer. The deaths from these diseases have
increased considerably in recent years, but the increased mortality
from heart disease is probably not a real one, and the apparent
increase is due to better methods of diagnosis and a more comprehensive
view of heart disease. In former years, valvular
disease was considered the most formidable condition in heart
disease, and accounted for most of the deaths. In recent years,
other conditions connected with the muscles of the heart figure
largely in the causes of death from heart disease.
In connection with deaths from cancer, we should also bear
in mind the altered age-distribution of the population. It is a
lamentable fact that deaths from cancer have increased, and the
increased mortality is not entirely accounted for by improved