Mortality of multiple sclerosis in relation to geographic factors in France

The multiple sclerosis (MS) mortality 1968-1977 in France, as reported by Alpérovitch and Bouvier, was tested for a possible correlation with a number of sociogeographic variables from relevant periods. The MS rate was associated with the main industry groups (metal processing and textile industry), with industry as a whole, and with the extent of oat cultivation. These findings are in agreement with observations in other countries and suggest a possible role of factors, somehow related to these features, in the etiology of MS.