A little puzzle from my new Epidemiology textbook

[attimes_bracing]

The formatting is crappy but I enjoyed this little puzzle in my new textbook.  It is 'an historical event'.  I got it after a few minutes and found it a really good way to get me thinking about what could cause this mortality pattern.  I expect someone will get it quickly but if not, I'll post the answer tomorrow.

EDIT:  You all know what it is... If you're a bit sunk just ask for the answer in the comments.

	ADULT MALES		ADULT FEMALES		CHILDREN		TOTAL
Class/Socio Econom. Status	TOTAL	% Dead	TOTAL	% Dead	TOTAL	% Dead	TOTAL	% Dead
High	175	67.4	144	2.8	6	0	325	37.5
Medium	168	91.7	93	14	24	0	285	58.6
Low	462	83.8	165	53.9	79	65.8	706	74.8
Other	885	78.3	23	13	0	0	908	76.7
TOTAL	1690	80	425	25.6	109	47.7	2224	68

BTW I'm reading this text book (Webb and Bain) for fun after reading Ghost Map about John Snow's work.   The first chapter has me hooked.

Comments

[frandowdsofa.livejournal.com]

Got it - it took a while though, and several blind alleys. Fascinating.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

My guess would be (rot 13) gur Gvgnavp be nabgure fvzvyne qvfnfgre. Which Wikipedia confirms. Should I feel smug that this took me about 30 seconds to guess?

[brixtonbrood.livejournal.com]

I originally thought industrial accident, but then got it - frankly should have got it instantly as it falls under the large category of Things That Tiny Was Obsessed With So Everybody Else in the Family Learned all about in Self-Defence, I've seen the table before.

[twinfair.livejournal.com]

Yep, I got it in about 15 secs and then deciphered ffutures to confirm. As Kryten would say "Ah, smug mode". And it does make you think...

[bellinghman.livejournal.com]

I used Wikipedia to confirm numbers.

What delayed me slightly was misinterpreting the "% dead" column as being that that subset comprised that percentage of the dead, rather than that percentage of that subset died. When the figures signally failed to add up, I retraced my steps and guessed within seconds.

Overall, an illuminating view on how one event is so prominent.

[doubtingmichael.livejournal.com]

I think I know, and I read rot13 well enough to get confirmation from ffutures. When you repost, please can you explain what the "Other" social status represents?

[attimes-bracing.livejournal.com]

The other in social status was the crew. The social class of the passengers was defined by the class of berth they occupied.