[Geographical differences in the mortality of the elderly in Finland since the 1850s]

Mortality data for the elderly in Finland are compared for geographical differences between the east and the west. The author utilizes simulated data from 1853 to 1878 to evaluate mortality in the past and compare it to the present, which indicates high levels of male mortality from heart disease in eastern Finland. "The historical evidence is compatible with the view that the causes of the high premature mortality in Finland are to be found in diet and smoking and perhaps also in genetics." (SUMMARY IN ENG)