ACCURATE MORTALITY STATISTICS ARE

NOW SECURED.

The law of 1899 makes possible the collection of accurate mortality statistics, and this is the first report of the Indiana State Board of Health which records accurate figures concerning deaths in the State.

The law requires that dead human bodies shall not be buried, cremated or placed in vaults or otherwise disposed of until a permit is obtained from some Health Officer or deputy, and no Health Officer shall issue a burial permit until he has in hand a certificate and record of the death, properly filled out and signed by the physician in attendance, if any, otherwise by a Health Officer, coroner or the householder where the death occurred. The form of the certificate and record of death, also the form of burial permit, also the forms of all other blanks necessary for the collection of accurate mortality statistics are left by the law to the State Board.

The penalty for burial without a permit is a fine of not less than ten nor more than one hundred dollars, and in addition the body shall be disinterred and an inquest held.

The penalty for refusal or neglect of attending physician, or householder where the death occurred, to make report on the form furnished by the State Board is not less than ten nor more than one hundred dollars; and the same fine lies against any officer who issues a burial permit without first having in hand the properly filled and signed certificate and record. All Health Officers are required to report to the State Board by the 5th of each month for the month preceding, sending to the State Board the certificates and records of death upon which burial permits have been issued. Failure to do this subjects the officer to fine and possibly dismissal.

The law was put into operation October 1, 1899. This date was taken because it had heretofore been accepted as the beginning of

the statistical year of the Board. The tables and analyses herewith presented are therefore for the year ending September 30, 1900. Having now a ruling from the Attorney-General that it would be lawful to do so, the State Board will hereafter, commencing the first of this century, January 1, 1901, make all tables and analyses of mortality statistics for the calendar year. This will make it necessary to print separately the fraction of a year composed of the last quarter of 1900, and therefore the mortality tables for October, November and December, 1900, are given as an appendix to our mortality report.

GENERAL ANALYSIS OF MORTALITY IN INDIANA FOR THE YEAR ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 1900.

The total number of deaths reported was 35,516. The number under one year of age was 7,766, or 21.8 per cent. of the total; one to two years, 1,565, or 4.4 per cent. of the total; two to three years, 792, or 2.23 per cent.; three to four years, 447, or 1.25 per cent.; four to five, 353, or 0.99 per cent. There thus appears a marked increasing expectancy after one year of age; at five the expectancy decreases; for from five to ten years the deaths numbered 1,059, or 2.9 per cent. of the total. An increased expectancy appears from ten to fifteen years, the number of deaths being 761, or 2.1 per cent. of the total; but again from fifteen to twenty years a decrease appears, the deaths numbering 1,377, or 3.8 per cent. of the total; and this decrease continues from twenty to twentyfive years, the deaths for this period numbering 1,621, or 4.5 per cent. of the total. An increased expectancy appears after 25 years, for from twenty-five to thirty years the deaths numbered 1,456, or 4.07 per cent. of the total. This increase continues as follows: Thirty to thirty-five years, deaths 1,326, or 3.7 per cent.; thirty-five to forty, deaths, 1,287, or 3.6 per cent.; forty to fortyfive, deaths, 1,194, or 3.37 per cent. After this the expectancy decreases as follows: Forty-five to fifty years, deaths, 1,204, or 3.39 per cent, of the total; fifty to fifty-five, deaths, 1,281, or 3.6 per cent.; fifty-five to sixty, deaths, 1,493, or 4.2 per cent.; sixty to sixty-five, deaths, 1,627, or 4.58 per cent.; sixty-five to seventy, deaths, 1,980, or 5.57 per cent.; seventy to seventy-five, deaths, 2,155, or 6.07 per cent.; seventy-five to eighty, deaths, 1,877, or

5.28 per cent.; eighty years and over, 2,425, or 6.80 per cent. The rise in death rate beginning at fifteen years of age and continuing for a decade is plainly due to pulmonary tuberculosis, as appears in the analysis of deaths from this cause. The deaths of infants under one year of age, 7,766, or 21.8 per cent. of the total, unquestionably shows that a large percentage of Indiana mothers need instruction in the care of infants. As only a very small percentage of breast-fed infants die under one year of age, it is to be inferred that in Indiana in 1900 an unusually large number was bottle fed. It is to be hoped that the State Board of Health will some day be given the means for instructing the people in the very important matter of preserving infants from unnecessary death. As distributed between urban and rural, the deaths were: Urban, 12,736, a rate of 15; rural, 22,722, a rate of 13.4.

the statistical year of the Board. The tables and analyses herewith presented are therefore for the year ending September 30, 1900. Having now a ruling from the Attorney-General that it would be lawful to do so, the State Board will hereafter, commencing the first of this century, January 1, 1901, make all tables and analyses of mortality statistics for the calendar year. This will make it necessary to print separately the fraction of a year composed of the last quarter of 1900, and therefore the mortality tables for October, November and December, 1900, are given as an appendix to our mortality report.

GENERAL ANALYSIS OF MORTALITY IN INDIANA FOR THE YEAR ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 1900.

The total number of deaths reported was 35,516. The number under one year of age was 7,766, or 21.8 per cent. of the total; one to two years, 1,565, or 4.4 per cent. of the total; two to three years, 792, or 2.23 per cent.; three to four years, 447, or 1.25 per cent.; four to five, 353, or 0.99 per cent. There thus appears a marked increasing expectancy after one year of age; at five the expectancy decreases; for from five to ten years the deaths numbered 1,059, or 2.9 per cent. of the total. An increased expectancy appears from ten to fifteen years, the number of deaths being 761, or 2.1 per cent. of the total; but again from fifteen to twenty years a decrease appears, the deaths numbering 1,377, or 3.8 per cent. of the total; and this decrease continues from twenty to twentyfive years, the deaths for this period numbering 1,621, or 4.5 per cent. of the total. An increased expectancy appears after 25 years, for from twenty-five to thirty years the deaths numbered 1,456, or 4.07 per cent. of the total. This increase continues as follows: Thirty to thirty-five years, deaths 1,326, or 3.7 per cent.; thirty-five to forty, deaths, 1,287, or 3.6 per cent.; forty to fortyfive, deaths, 1,194, or 3.37 per cent. After this the expectancy decreases as follows: Forty-five to fifty years, deaths, 1,204, or 3.39 per cent. of the total; fifty to fifty-five, deaths, 1,281, or 3.6 per cent.; fifty-five to sixty, deaths, 1,493, or 4.2 per cent.; sixty to sixty-five, deaths, 1,627, or 4.58 per cent.; sixty-five to seventy, deaths, 1,980, or 5.57 per cent.; seventy to seventy-five, deaths, 2,155, or 6.07 per cent.; seventy-five to eighty, deaths, 1,877, or

TUBERCULOSIS-ALL FORMS.

The total number of deaths reported from all forms of tuberculosis was 4,745. The number reported as caused by the pulmonary form was 3,164. The accompanying three diagrams show the deaths by months from all forms, also from the pulmonary form and by ages. The figures for all forms and for the pulmonary form and by ages will be found in the tables. It will be noticed from the diagram of Tuberculosis-All Forms how steadily this disease pursues its course. There is very little difference as regards the

months.

DIAGRAM SHOWING DEATHS FROM ALL FORMS OF TUBERCULOSIS, YEAR ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 1900.

20 40 60 80 100

200

400