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Document Type

Article

Abstract

The pattern of mortality among the Hutterite Brethren has changed from that reported in this journal by J. W. Eaton and A. J. Mayer almost 30 years ago. In particular, the longevity of females is greater than that of males as inferred from age-specific deaths rates for the period 1953-75. Infant mortality rates declined by 27% of that estimated for the period 1941-50. The notable decline in the mortality of women during their reproductive span may be causally related to the decline in Hutterite fertility that was recently reported in this journal by L. M. Laing. The mortality of the elderly Brethren was apparently lower during the period 1941-50. It is hypothesized that the lower mortality of the elderly was the result of the greater longevity of survivors of a cohort that was subject to a unique period of selective mortality. This period of early, severe mortality occurred during the migration from South Russia to the Dakota Territory, 1874-79, and the establishment of colonies in South Dakota during the remainder of the nineteenth century. Although the mortality of infants and the elderly has been higher among the Hutterite Brethren than in the general population of Alberta and Saskatchewan, the Brethren in the most productive years of their lives enjoy lower mortality by comparison.

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