Birthdays and Time of Death: A Footnote

Several recent studies have examined the relationship between an individual's date of birth and date of his or her death [1, 2]. In the most recent contribution, Kunz and Summers note, on the basis of analysis of material in several archival sources, a significantly higher number of deaths occur during the first quarter after one's birthday than during the quarter preceding the birthday [3]. The present note is a brief historical addendum to this material.