Population Density and Pathology: What Are the Relations for Man?

THE CONNECTION OF POPULATION DENSITY WITH BEHAVIORAL PATHOLOGIES IN CHICAGO IS EXPLORED. PATHOLOGIES STUDIED ARE MORTALITY, INFERTILITY, INABILITY TO SUPPORT ONE'S CHILDREN, JUVENILE DELINQUENCY, & MENTAL HOSPITALIZATION. HIGH DENSITY IS CORRELATED WITH ALL OF THESE POSITIVELY, EXCEPT FOR INFERTILITY. WHEN SC & ETHNICITY ARE HELD CONSTANT, THESE CORRELATIONS PROVE SPURIOUS. ANALYSIS IN TERMS OF 4 SEPARATE COMPONENTS OF CROWDING--RESIDENTS PER ROOM, ROOMS PER UNIT, UNITS PER BUILDING, BUILDINGS PER ACRE--REVEALS SIGNIFICANT CORRELATIONS EVEN AFTER HOLDING CLASS & ETHNICITY CONSTANT. IN ALL CASES BUT MENTAL COMMITMENT, PERSONS PER ROOM IS THE MOST CRUCIAL VARIABLE; FOR MENTAL COMMITMENT, THE IMPORTANT PROBLEM IS ROOMS PER UNIT. FOR ALL MEASURES, HOUSING UNITS PER STRUCTURE ARE SECOND IN IMPORTANCE. MECHANISMS FOR THESE CORRELATIONS ARE PROPOSED. 1 FIGURE, 5 TABLES. W. H. STODDARD.