BIRTH AND DEATH HOURS

Greymouth Evening Star, 14 October 1933, Page 9

BIRTH AND DEATH HOURS

INTERESTING STATISTICS

In the “Schweizerische Medizinische Wochensehrift” 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 16,726 births registered in the Swiss town of Aarau between 1876 and 1929, as well as 350.106 births for all Switzerland from 1926 to 1929. Jenny found the number of births increased rapidly toward midnight, leaches a. maximum between 2 and 5 in the morning, and falls off to 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 in the purse rate, blood pressure, rate of breathing, and ether 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 tho same rhythm holds good despite the “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 the effect. He detected none, although the aurora fluctuates from day to day and even from hour to hour. Accordingly he suggests that some unknown cosmic influence must be sought.