The data used in this analysis was obtained from the National Center for Health Statistics. The information comes from death certificates, one of which, signed by a doctor, is filed for each death. The figures used are not projections or estimates, but an actual count, like the Census. The data is presented, and comparisons made, on the basis of death rates; i.e. deaths per million persons per year. The method was chosen because the absolute number of deaths in a given subgroup may be misleading if the population in that group is quite small, as in elderly persons 85 and older. Measuring risk by death rate is in common and international use in assessing health hazards. Population figures used were obtained from the United States Bureau of Census. Special attention is given to trends over time, and to age groups, 0-4 and 70-74, which are considered to be representative high-risk groups.