基于家谱资料的死亡人数构成比的日节律

The circadian rhythm of death based on data from a Chinese family tree

据 1 5 0 6～ 2 0 0 0年中国汉族某姓氏家谱资料 ,通过常规和圆形分析死亡人数构成比的日节律 ,发现男子死亡数构成比亥时、午时为高 ,卯时、辰时为低 ,最高值 (1 5 .0 9% )是最低值 (3 .47% )的 4.3 5倍 ,差异极显著 (P<0 .0 1 )。女子死亡数构成比亥时、巳时为高 ,卯时、寅时为低 ,最高值 (1 6 .0 8% )是最低值 (3 .5 5 % )的4.5 3倍 ,差异极显著。亥时是阴气盛极将衰、阳气将长 ,午时和巳时是阳气盛极将衰、阴气将长 ,可见阴阳二气的转换对死亡有催动作用。男子、女子数据合并 ,平均死亡高峰为 2 2时 5 8分。男子、女子昼、夜死亡数构成比均无甚差异 (P>0 .0 5 )。男子阳时、阴时死亡数构成比分别为 42 .6 5 %和 5 7.3 5 % ,差异极显著 ;女子分别为 46 .78%和 5 3 .2 2 % ,差异接近显著 (P=0 .1 0 )。男子最大时辰死亡数构成比 ,古代为亥时和午时的1 4.6 9% ,近现代为亥时的 1 5 .1 5 %。可见 ,在这两个时代中 ,男子时辰死亡数构成比无大的改变。女子最大时辰死亡数构成比 ,古代为亥时的 1 5 .5 1 % ,近现代仍为亥时的 1 7.2 1 % ,二时代女子的时辰死亡数构成比也无甚改变。死亡时辰 Y与死亡日 (农历初一至三十 ) X之间存在显著相关。男子和女子数据合并 ,Y=1 1 .0 95 1 +0 .0 6 1 7X± 0 .443

Chinese family trees are valuable in the study of long-term population dynamics. Based on demographic data from 1506～2000 from a Chinese (Han) family tree and circular distribution analysis, the authors show that the highest constituent proportion of deaths in men was 15.09% from 21:00～23:00 followed by 14.15% from 11:00～13:00 in a 24～hour day. The lowest was 3.47% from 5:00～7:00 followed by 3.87% from 7:00～9:00. The highest was 4.35 times that of the lowest and this difference was highly significant (P<0.01). For women, the highest proportion of deaths was 16.08% from 23:00～1:00 followed by 12.94% from 9:00～11:00, and the lowest was 3.55% from 5:00～7:00 followed by 4.59% from 3:00～5:00. The highest was 4.53 times the lowest and this difference was highly significant (P<0.01). According to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, the yang substance reaches its peak and then begins to decrease as the yin substance begins to increase at midday. At midnight, the yin substance reaches its peak and then begins to decrease as the yang substance begins to increase. So it can be seen that the transformation of yin and yang is a spur to human death. The yang and yin substances in the human body can be represented by cAMP and cGMP, respectively (See reference 3 for details). The mean peak time of death for men and women was at 22∶58. Death frequencies in daytime (5:00～17:00) and night (17:00～5:00) were 51.40% and 48.60%, respectively for men and 49.27% and 50.73%, respectively for women. Both differences were not significant (P>0.05). The death frequencies of men were 44.73% and 55.27% in yang hours (23:00～ 1:00, 3:00～5:00,…, 19:00～21:00) and yin hours (1:00～3:00, 5:00～7:00, …, 21:00～23:00), respectively, a highly significantly difference. The female death frequencies were 42.38% and 57.62% in yang and yin hours, respectively, and the difference was also highly significant. The peak times of death of men in ancient (1506～1840) and modern (1841～2000) times were at 23:36 and 23:06, respectively, the difference between these times was not significant. For women, the peak times of death were at 23:00 and 21:36, respectively, and this difference was not significant either. There was a positive correlation between hour of death in a day, Y and date of death in a lunar month, X. For both genders, Y=11.095+0.0617X± 0.443 (r= 0.068, df=1225, P= 0.018). This indicates that the moon phase affected the time of death in a day. There was a positive correlation between hour of death, Y and longevity, X in 1701～1900. For both genders, Y=10.540 +0.0293X±0.901 (r=0.068, df=888, P=0.042). But during the whole study period, the correlation coefficient was not significant (r=0.042, df=1226, P=0.143). It was also found that the hourly death rate, Y was related to the hourly birth rate, X. For both genders, Y = 2.859+0.657X ±1.783 (r=0.733, df=10, P=0.007).