Mortality in Italy: contours of a century of evolution.

The authors construct contour maps of Italian male and female mortality rates for ages 0-79 for the years 1870-1979 using life table data from published sources. The maps "display persistent global and prominent local patterns of mortality, simultaneously over age, by period, and for cohorts." Previously documented aspects of the evolution of Italian mortality are highlighted graphically, and new areas for study are indicated. (summary in FRE, ITA)