When does a cohort's mortality differ from what we might expect?

The authors have developed a model to systematically analyze a matrix of mortality data. "Through its detailed description of the structure of the matrix, it offers the possibility of confirming certain hypotheses or of formulating new ones about the mortality experience of certain peculiar cohorts. The descriptive power of the method will be seen here in application to the French mortality experience over the period 1899-1981." This is a revised version of a paper originally presented at the 1988 Annual Meeting of the Population Association of America. excerpt