Observations on the mortality of the Scottish Widows' Fund and Life Assurance Society, from 1815 to 1845 / by James Begbie.

Date:
1847
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Observations on the mortality of the Scottish Widows' Fund and Life Assurance Society, from 1815 to 1845 / by James Begbie. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    lungs and general dropsy, the consequence of renewed inflammation of the heart. But the progress of disease, once lighted up in organs so essential to life, is by no means so slow in the great majority of instances. We know that inflammation of the membranes of the heart is frequently fatal in a few days, or weeks, or months; and that, even when the injury done permits the continuance of life for a longer period, that a few years at most is the term allotted to the sufferer. Of seven cases among the assured of the Society, where the data are certified by the medical officers or by the ordinary attend- ant of the party, one survived the attack of rheumatic fever fourteen, and the date of his policy twelve years; a second outlived his rheumatic fever and his policy together, ten years; a third, the disease six, and his policy five; a fourth, the same periods; a fifth survived the rheumatic attack five years, but died in the second of his assurance ; a sixth lived three years after rheumatism, and died two years after effecting his assurance; and the seventh insured the year following his rheumatic attack, and became a claim on the Society in two years after. All these died of heart disease. One had suffered four attacks of rheumatism before his proposal was ■ accepted, two more had been affected the second time, and there ' is reason to believe, in regard to the others, that they had had attacks - subsequent to assurance. A regulation lately adopted by the Board, it is hoped, will be followed by other Societies, and place the acceptance of proposals of life assurance from those predisposed to rheumatic fever on terms more equitable to the great bulk of insurers, as well as to those who are called to submit to an extra premium for gout, hernia, and other disorders of a less serious nature. Of the sixth class, the principal mortality arises from chronic af- fections of the stomach, liver, and bowels. Out of 77 deaths, of which the class is composed, 10 only occurred from acute disease. , Functional disorder of the digestive organs very generally prevailed among the parties previous to admission, and in particular the cir- cumstance of several of the subjects of liver disease having been reported “bilious,” and others “free livers,” is distinctly noticed. Of 30 cases, in which the stomach and bowels were the seat of disease, the stomach chiefly suffered in 10 and the bowds in 12. In the former the pylorus was affected by scirrhus in four instances, the mucous membrane chiefly in the remainder. Chronic inflam- mation and ulceration were the principal lesions of the intestines. : In four cases the affection of the stomach Avas complicated with dis- ^ case of the liver ; in one with disease of the pancreas. The bladder participated in two cases with disease of the bowels. There is one ; death from strangulated hernia, and three from perforation of t le bowels, followed by peritonitis. In three cases the affection of t ie liver was complicated with disease of the kidney. . In the seventh class, containing 23 deaths, there is one case o I