The elements of vital statistics / by Arthur Newsholme.

  • Newsholme, Arthur, Sir, 1857-1943.
Date:
1899
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The elements of vital statistics / by Arthur Newsholme. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    338/380 (page 318)
    (a) A favourite explanation of the increased death-rate and diminished expectation of life in adult years is that, owing to tlie saving of life in the earlier years of life—a saving which has been especially in zymotic diseases and phtliisis and other tubercular diseases—there has been a larger number of weakly survivors, who would under the former regime have been carried off by these diseases. In other words, the operation of the law of the survival of the fittest has been impeded, with results unfavourable to the health and vigour of adult life. Tliis argu- ment assumes that weakly children are more prone to attack by infectious diseases than robust children, an assumjition which experience does not confirm. These diseases appear to attack the majority of children, weakly or robust, who are exposed to their infection. It might be reasonably expected, therefore, tliat with a decrease in the total deaths from infectious diseases, there would have been at least a corresponding decrease in the number of those who are left maimed by an attack of one of these diseases to survive to adult life. We personally think that the weeding out of wealdy lives, caused by the greater mortality among weakly children suffering from an infectious disease, is almost entirely counterbalanced by the greater number of cliildren made weakly in former times by non-fatal attacks of an infectious disease. The case for deterioration of the race by survival of patients who would formerly have died in early life from phthisis and other tubercular diseases, appears to be a stronger one. It is probable that a larger proportion of phtMsical patients are cured than formerly. It is probable also that many more children mth a strong tendency to phthisis, or even suffering from its early symptoms, are prevented by the improved medical treatment and the improved social conditions of recent years, from developing the disease. These now may survive to adult life and become the parents of children with a strong tubercular tendency. Such a fact need not, however, cause any serious apprehension for two reasons. In the first place, hereditary tendencies to < phthisis only act under favourable predisposing conditions, such l' as damp and overcrowded houses, sedentary occupation in^ a cramped position, etc.; and in presence of the active exciting agent, the specific bacillus tuherculosis introduced ah extra by inhalation or by means of food, j Assuming that more phthisical patients survive than formerly, is it not equally true that fewer persons become