Suchergebnisse

Long-term trends in mortality are only known with a certain degree of precision for a few countries : Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, where civil registration statistics began to be collected at a relatively early date, and also France and England, for which reconstitutions are available thanks to L. Henry on one hand E. Wrigley and R. Schofield on the other. These same countries were also the first in which mortality began to decline. This started to occur as early as the second half of the 17th century whereas, in other European countries, it only began around the middle or even the late 19th century.
The most striking fact noted in comparing these countries is the difference in level observed at the outset between France and England. Is it a matter of the method used ? Or a real difference ? The question remains open. In actual fact, events occurred quite differently in the two countries, not only insofar as the date of commencement is concerned, but also with regard to the various stages in the decline. While mortality fell regularly in Sweden over the whole period, it went through various steps in France and England, sometimes even undergoing a reversai of the trend.
Significant differences can also be noted in trends in age- and sex -specific structure. More specifically, for a given identical level of infant and youth mortality, reached, certainly, at different points in time, the levels of adult mortality diverge completely. To begin with, this level was, relatively speaking, much lower in Italy than in France and in France than in Sweden. The specific nature of the Italian trend then continues while the difference between France and Sweden tends to disappear. Furthermore, this same period sees the birth of a trend toward excess male mortality, even if this is a phenomenon more specifically characteristic of the 20th century.
Of course, this period (1720-1914) does not cover the full health transition which is far from being completed at the dawning of the First World War.