DURATION OF LIFE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20656, 30 August 1930, Page 13

DURATION OF LIFE.

UNITED STATES STATISTICS. REFERENCE TO NEW ZEALAND. "LONGEST-LIVED IN WORLD." [FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.] NEW YORK, August 6. Acknowledging that New Zealanders are the longest-lived population group in the world, the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company has published tho results of a lengthy research into the expectation of life of college-bred men. In this conntry, where millions go to collego, tho group is regarded as a picked body, representing tho best American human material with respect to physical fitness, social and economic standing and the protected occupations chosen by them after they leave college. They are held to be men of more than average intelligence, whoso training and capacity should free them from many conditions that bring on premature death. The survey of nearly 40,000 men was traced as far back as 1870. They were practically followed right through the lifespan, divided into three groups: athletes, graduates arid "honour men." At tho ago of 22, which is near the average age of graduation, athletes showed an expectation of 45.66 additional years; in other words, that the average age of death of these men was 67.5 years. Graduates did better by about two months, but the "honour men" enjoyed an advantage of more than two years over athletes and graduates at tho beginning of their adult life. "These honour men," says the report, "show an extraordinary longevity, which is threo and a half years better than carefully-selected insured lives, and a year better than tho longest-lived population group in tho world, namely, the New Zealanders. The graduates and athletes both fall more than a year short of the New Zealanders in longevity, but are both better bv more than a year than the insured group." Tho comparison is not quite fair to New Zealand without tho explanation that it pits tho average of a physically and mentally privileged class against tho average of the whole population of the Dominion. Were the comparison made with athletes, graduates and "honour men" of New Zealand colleges, tho Dominion average would bo so much higher as the bulk population average of longevity is higher than that of tho rest of tho world. But it is unlikely that similar data could bo supplied regarding New Zealand collego men over a period of 50 years. Tho rate quoted hero is for all New Zealand males.

"Even at ago 52," says tho report, "when we should expect relatively small differences, the honour men's average after-lifetime l's nearly a year greater than that of tho New Zealanders, and <liree years greater than the insured men. Their advantage over athletes is still nearly two years and over all their classmates nearly a year and a half. The life expectation of graduates was only six months less than tlio New Zealanders, but over a year and a-half better than the insured lives."