BIRTH AND DEATH HOUR.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 237, 7 October 1933, Page 8 (Supplement)

BIRTH AND DEATH HOUR.

Tn the " Schwcizerische Medizinische Woclienschrift" Dr. Eduard Jenny reports the results of studies that he made to determine the hours when human beings are most likely to be born or to die. His statistical material consisted of 10,7215 births registered in the Swiss town of An ran between 1870 and 15)20, as well as 350.10(1 births for all Switzerland from 1920 to 1929.

.Tenuy found that the number of births increases rapidly toward midnight, reaches a maximum between 2 and 5 in the morning, and falls off to a minimum late in the afternoon. There is a difference of 40 per cent between the number born around 5 p.m. (12,257) and 5 a.m. (17,254). A similar rhythm is found ill the pulse rate, blood pressure, rate of breathing, and other organic activities during the course of 24 hours.

The death rate, too, seems to follow a cycle. Jenny discovered two maxima, the one occurring between night and day and the other between day and night. The difference, however, is not so marked as in the case of births.

It is worth noting that in Iceland the same rhythm holds good despite the I midnight sun." It follows that the position of the sun in the heavens is not the decisive factor. Jenny, thought at first that variations in atmospheric electricity might explain (he effect. He detected none, although the aurora fluctuates from day Ito day and even from hour to hour. Accordingly he suggests that some unknown cosmic influence m.uot be sought.