British Mandate: A Survey of Palestine: Volume II - Page 708

CHAPTER XVI.

table 12). Data for Moslem Palestine are once again compared with those of India, Egypt, Bulgaria and Japan. It appears from the table that the length of life of Palestinian Moslems has increased from 37.5 in 1926-27 to 49.9 in 1942-44, i.e. by rn.4 years in a period of 16.5 years. The average gains realised in other countries have been much smaller. It appears also from table 12 and from the data quoted by the last Statistical Yearbook of the League of Nations that Palestinian Moslems do not to-day rank, in the matter of length of life, with other Arab populations, but with comparatively advanced countries such as Japan, Bulgaria, Russia, etc.

Table 12.
EXPECTATION OF LIFE AT BIRTH.
Males Females
--- ---
Palestine 1926/27 37.1 37.9 Net gain in duration of
Moslems 1930/32 41.5 42.3 lile between 1925-7 and
1933/35 42.0 42.0 1942/4' for males 12.3
1936/38 46.7 48.5 years, for females 12.5
1939/41 46.l 46.9 years.
1942/44 49.4 50.4
India 1911 22.6 23.3 Net gain between 1911
1931 ::l6,9 26.6 and 1931; for males
4.3 years, for females
3.3 years
Egypt 1917/27 31 36 No gain
1927/37 34.2 81.5
Japan 1926/30 44.8 46.5 Net gain between 1926/30
1935/36 46.9 49.7 and 1935/36; for males
21 years, for females
3.1 years
173. It is beyond doubt that the tremendous reduction of mortality of Palestinian Moslems during the last two decades is due mainly to improved standards of living, improved cultural conditions, better medical facilities and the increased utilization of these facilities.

174. Child mortality. A decision proof of the influence of improved standard of life on reduction of mortality is found in the fact that progress has been realized to an unusual extent in the reduction of child mortality. Children of young age are, without doubt, the section of the population which is most sensitive to changes in environmental conditions, and child mortality is for this reason often used as a direct indication of the standard of life of a population. Table 13 shows the mortality rates of Moslem children in Palestine from 1924 to 1944.

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