The influence of the American occupation on the life span of the Filipino and on the incidence of degenerative diseases

ABSTRACT

The first census taken in the Philippines was in 1903, a couple of years after American occupation. The population of the Philippines was then about 7,000,000. The average expectation of life for both sexes was 17.91 yearsThe second census was taken in 1918; the population of the Philippines was then 9,500,000. The average life expectancy for both sexes was 26.59 years. There was an improvement of 8.68 or approximately 9 years. In an unpublished paper which was destroyed in the battle of liberation of Manila, Sison and Lara recall that life expectancy in the Philippines corresponding to 1938 was about 46 years. In other words, from 1918 to 1938 , there was gain of 1 year per year. Based on that average, the life expectancy in 1948 should be about 46 years. In the last census taken in 1948, the population of the Philippines was 19,500,000Incidence of malignant newgrowth from 1908 to 1917 was 2.2 per cent; the incidence in 1938 to 1948 was 5.4 per centIncidence of essential hypertension from 1908 to 1917 was 0.467 per cent; in 1938 to 1948 it was 2.637 per cent.(author)