Mortality decline in Latin America: Changes in the structure of causes of deaths, 1950–1975

Abstract
In this paper we study some of the characteristics of the process of mortality decline in Latin America during the years 1955 and 1973. This is done by analyzing the levels of overall mortality and cause‐specific mortality and their changes in the period indicated, and by examining the relation between levels of mortality and their changes and a set of endogenous variables measuring socio‐economic conditions. This analysis is intended to measure in a somewhat crude manner the effects of diffusion of medical technology vis à vis the effects of changes in socioeconomic conditions.