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Show Ishe-FRENCHNatiorrT)YINsJUTT THE minister of labor lias completed the vital statistics for France for the year 1918. These statistics., according to The Journal of the American Medical Association, show that thu civil population of France decreased during the year J918 by 1! Hi) ,5 75, not counting the war losses. These statistics, based on civil records, continue con-tinue to cover only the 77 departments that were not directly affected by military operations. This is the same as it was during the first four years tit the- war, ' It will be the same for the year 1919, and not until the beginning of 1920 will (he statistics of all French territory, made complete by accession acces-sion of Alsace and Lorraine, be included. If one compares the statistics of the years 1917 and l'.'lH, for the 77 dopartmeuts of which account w as taken, one will note ths t year shows not oi.ly the persistence of an execs of deaths over births, but even an increase of tli ytcesa over that of the preceding year. In 1917, v. population popula-tion of the 77 departments nut invaded decreased 'ii',H "8, whereas the decrease in li'18 has risen to :i;,573. Tins result is due to the considerable increase in the number of deaths during the second half of 1918, ascrlbable to the influents epidemic for the number of births showed a slight increase over 1917. A comparison of the statistics '..this. years 1917 and 1918 ia given in the accompany. . ing table: VITAL STATISTICS FOR THE YEARS 1917.-AND 1917.-AND 1918. . 1918 1M7 , Births .... 899,041 843310- Deaths 788,61 611,1481 Excess of deaths over bhrtbs 8o9,67 269,888 Marriages .., 177,872 188.508 Divorces 8,121 6,672 An analysis of the UUe reveals the fact that in 1918 there was: (1) An increase in the number of marriages; (2) a corresponding increase ia the number of births, and (3) sn increase in the number of deaths. This increase in mortality, atfsets exclusively the second half of 1918. During the first half of 1918, 816,077 deaths were recorded, as compared with 354,554 during the first half of 1917; and during the second half of 1918. 472,539 deaths were registered, as against 258,591 In 1917. According to the preceding figures, ths number num-ber of civil victims clsimed by ths influensa in 1918 may be placed at approximately 200,004. |