The National Center for Health Statistics (described in the October 24, 1997 Scout Report) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recently published "Deaths: Final Data for 1996." The 99-page report presents the latest data available on mortality in the US "according to a number of key demographic and medical characteristics such as age, sex, race, Hispanic origin, marital status,...

This week, the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) released this major report on health in the United States, which presents the final data on 1998 US deaths and death rates. Despite its macabre title, the report does offer some positive statistics. Foremost among these is a ten percent drop in firearms deaths for teens and children compared to 1997. Other good news: "life expectancy at...