Mortality and prolonged illness among Oxford undergraduates.

VERY little has been published in this country on mortality and morbidity among students. The present survey is the first to present figures from Oxford University, and has been made possible by the friendly cooperation of the college authorities. Twenty-six colleges and halls have supplied information about undergraduates’ mortality and prolonged illness (i.e., illness causing the loss of at least one full term’s residence) between Jan. 1, 1947, and Dec. 31, 1949. Wherever possible the nature of the illness was stated and the end-result recorded in the form " returned to college," " went down," or " still in doubt." The data may be incomplete because time and labour did not suffice for an exhaustive study of college records, and because such records are commonly kept for financial purposes, not for recording sickness. Nevertheless, the figures contribute to our knowledge of the relative incidence, and to some extent of the actual prevalence, of prolonged absence on account of sickness.