Canadian and American Mortality in the Early 20th Century

The differences in mortality at certain ages are definitely associated with specific causes of death. The disadvantage among Canadians at the younger ages arose mainly from the higher incidence of the communicable diseases, such as diarrhea and enteritis, tuberculosis, pneumonia, and typhoid fever. Canadian policyholders also had a higher death rate from puerperal causes. The major part of this excess was attributable to the much higher birth rate prevailing among the French-speaking population.

At the older ages Canadians tended to enjoy the advantage of lower mortality from the degenerative diseases that were character­istic of this period of life, as well as from accidents, homicides, and suicides. The mortality among Canadian policyholders began to show marked improvement in the first half of the 20th century. In the time frame of around 1930-1940, the total death rate (unadjusted for changes in age distribution) declined more than 15 percent.

For the principal com­municable diseases of childhood as a group, and for diarrhea and enteritis, the reduction was more than 70 percent. Approximately the same reduction was brought about for typhoid fever. The death rates from pneumonia and from diseases of childbearing were cut by one half, and that from tuberculosis by about one third in the decade. The improvement in health facilities throughout Canada was marked, and promised even greater gains in the future hinging on whether the country would be adversely affected by the con­tinuance of war conditions.

The excellence of the mortality record among Metropolitan industrial policyholders as a whole was surpassed by that for the Pacific Coast. There the death rate in that span of time was 6 percent lower than in the rest of the United States. The record was remarkably good with respect to child­hood diseases, reflecting in part the lower incidence of the communicable diseases in Pacific Coast families. Diphtheria was practically wiped out. In between 1930 and 1940 the mortality from puerperal conditions declined 70 percent.

The death rates from pneumonia and from diseases of childbearing were cut by one half, and that from tuberculosis by about one third in the decade. The improvement in health facilities throughout Canada was marked, and promised even greater gains...