# Finally, some useful statistics: **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 2, 2005, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-some-useful-statistics/319711 "2005-09-02T06:27:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![biddee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@biddee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biddee)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2005, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-some-useful-statistics/319711/1 "2005-09-02T06:27:00Z")
Finally, some useful statistics: Doctors: ``` (A) The number of doctors in the U.S. is 700,000 (B) Accidental deaths caused by physicians per year are 120,000 (C) Accidental deaths per physician is 17.14% Statistics courtesy of the U.S.Dept of Health & Human Services ``` Guns: ``` (A) The number of gun owners in the U.S. is 80,000,000 (yes that's 80 million) (B) The number of accidental gun deaths per year, all age groups, is 1,500 (C) The number of accidental deaths per gun owner is 0.001875% Statistics courtesy of the FBI So statistically, doctors are approximately 9,000 times more dangerous than gun owners. Remember, guns don't kill people, doctors do. FACT: NOT EVERYONE HAS A GUN, BUT ALMOST EVERYONE HAS AT LEAST ONE DOCTOR. Please alert your friends to this alarming threat. We must ban doctors before this gets completely out of hand!!! ``` Out of concern for the public at large, I have withheld statistics on lawyers for fear the shock would cause people to panic and seek medical attention. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2005, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-some-useful-statistics/319711/2 "2005-09-02T07:00:34Z")
Perhaps you could also include the number on non-accidental deaths from guns in your statistics? ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2005, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-some-useful-statistics/319711/3 "2005-09-02T07:11:28Z")
Perhaps you could realize that you cannot express a ratio in terms of “per” and still use percentages? ---
**Author:** ![biddee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@biddee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biddee)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2005, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-some-useful-statistics/319711/4 "2005-09-02T07:20:23Z")
It’s meant to be tongue in cheek :). I guess people are in a serious mood tonight! Actually, I’m not particularly pro-gun. I don’t believe that they are successfully used in very many self-protection situations and as you said, a lot more accidents occur with guns than deliberate shootings. I would actually very much like to see that statistic. ---
**Author:** ![biddee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@biddee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biddee)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2005, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-some-useful-statistics/319711/5 "2005-09-02T07:21:50Z")
> [@biddee](#): > > It’s meant to be tongue in cheek :). I guess people are in a serious mood tonight! > > Actually, I’m not particularly pro-gun. I don’t believe that they are successfully used in very many self-protection situations and as you said, a lot more accidents occur with guns than deliberate shootings. I would actually very much like to see that statistic. Oops, I didn’t read your post properly or mine for that matter LOL :smack: I would also like to see the statistic on non-accident related deaths by guns! ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2005, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-some-useful-statistics/319711/6 "2005-09-02T07:25:13Z")
> [@biddee](#): > > It’s meant to be tongue in cheek :). I guess people are in a serious mood tonight! Fair enough. But so much pro-gun propaganda emanates from the US that I assumed this was more of it. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2005, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-some-useful-statistics/319711/7 "2005-09-02T12:44:47Z")
> [@biddee](#): > > It’s meant to be tongue in cheek :). I guess people are in a serious mood tonight! My neice’s then 5 year old son was killed by another 5 year old in an accidental shooting. Tongue in cheek? More like foot in mouth. ---
**Author:** ![monica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@monica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monica)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2005, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-some-useful-statistics/319711/8 "2005-09-02T12:51:40Z")
**biddee** , was there a point to this? ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2005, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-some-useful-statistics/319711/9 "2005-09-02T12:53:27Z")
What about the car-deer accident ratio? I think deer ought to be outlawed. Squirrells, too. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2005, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-some-useful-statistics/319711/10 "2005-09-02T13:06:11Z")
What are _useful_ statistics doing in the Mundane _Pointless_ Stuff bin? ---
**Author:** ![TV\_MAN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f1d935/32.png) [@TV\_MAN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_MAN)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2005, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-some-useful-statistics/319711/11 "2005-09-04T03:14:25Z")
:rolleyes: There are three kinds of lies: Lies, damned lies and statistics! I seriously doubt my physican is responsible for 17.14 percent of his patients deaths in a year. :smack: Benjamin Disreali, Former PM of UK > [@biddee](#): > > Finally, some useful statistics: > Doctors: > > ``` > (A) The number of doctors in the U.S. is 700,000 > > (B) Accidental deaths caused by physicians per year are 120,000 > > (C) Accidental deaths per physician is 17.14% > > Statistics courtesy of the U.S.Dept of Health & Human Services > > ``` > > Guns: > > ``` > (A) The number of gun owners in the U.S. is 80,000,000 (yes that's 80 million) > > (B) The number of accidental gun deaths per year, all age groups, is 1,500 > > (C) The number of accidental deaths per gun owner is 0.001875% > > Statistics courtesy of the FBI > > So statistically, doctors are approximately 9,000 times more dangerous than gun owners. > > Remember, guns don't kill people, doctors do. > > FACT: NOT EVERYONE HAS A GUN, BUT ALMOST EVERYONE HAS AT LEAST ONE DOCTOR. > > Please alert your friends to this alarming threat. We must ban doctors before this gets completely out of hand!!! > > ``` > > Out of concern for the public at large, I have withheld statistics on lawyers for fear the shock would cause people to panic and seek medical attention. ---
**Author:** ![Strinka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strinka/32/512_2.png) [@Strinka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strinka)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2005, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-some-useful-statistics/319711/12 "2005-09-04T07:46:29Z")
> [@biddee](#): > > (B) Accidental deaths caused by physicians per year are 120,000 How are you defining caused by? I bet a lot of the people accidentally killed by physicians certainly would have died if they hadn’t seen their doctor. ---
**Author:** ![EnderWay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d26b3c/32.png) [@EnderWay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EnderWay)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2005, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-some-useful-statistics/319711/13 "2005-09-04T08:01:01Z")
> [@TV MAN](#): > > :rolleyes: There are three kinds of lies: Lies, damned lies and statistics! I seriously doubt my physican is responsible for 17.14 percent of his patients deaths in a year. :smack: > > Benjamin Disreali, Former PM of UK Exactly! According to those statistics each physician is responsible for 17.14% of that total 120,000 accidental deaths. That’s what 120000/700000 gives you(0.1714)! BTW I’m highly skeptical of that 120000 figure. But still according to the said statistics each physician has on average 5.83 accidental deaths per year. 700000/1200000 So 5.83 \* 0.1714 =1 _(you realize this is with rounding actual number have way too many decimal places yo make them worth typing, but you get the idea)_ Also we are not given then number of patients per Doctor or the number of natural deaths in the US or per Doctor! According to the [U.S. Census Bureau](http://www.census.gov/) the population of the US is 297,070, 793 (this is done with a population clock so the number will be higher each time you visit the site). 297070793/700000=424.38 Eeach doctor has on average 424 patients. Using these figures we get each doctor’s accidental death rate is 1.3% or 5.83/424! But sill this is all skewed. Not everyone goes to the doctor. Many people go years without seeing one. And like I said before IMHO I find that 120,000 accidental deaths a highly suspicious figure. ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2005, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-some-useful-statistics/319711/14 "2005-09-04T08:02:23Z")
And how many patients brought their illness on themselves, in which no amount of medicine or therapy would have even helped. ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2005, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-some-useful-statistics/319711/15 "2005-09-04T08:08:58Z")
> [@racer72](#): > > My neice’s then 5 year old son was killed by another 5 year old in an accidental shooting. Tongue in cheek? More like foot in mouth. While the correlation of accidental shootings compared to deaths caused by physicians may be off-base (and it is), I don’t see how the OP is in anyway exploiting your neice’s son. As accidental shootings do occur. ---
**Author:** ![EnderWay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d26b3c/32.png) [@EnderWay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EnderWay)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2005, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-some-useful-statistics/319711/16 "2005-09-04T17:28:25Z")
> [@EnderWay](#): > > Exactly! > > According to those statistics each physician is responsible for 17.14% > of that total 120,000 accidental deaths. That’s what 120000/700000 gives you(0.1714)! > > BTW I’m highly skeptical of that 120000 figure. > > But still according to the said statistics each physician has on average 5.83 > accidental deaths per year. 700000/1200000 > > So 5.83 \* 0.1714 =1 > _(you realize this is with rounding actual number have way > too many decimal places yo make them worth typing, but you get the idea)_ > > Also we are not given then number of patients per Doctor or the number of > natural deaths in the US or per Doctor! > According to the [U.S. Census Bureau](http://www.census.gov/) the > population of the US is 297,070, 793 (this is done with a population clock > so the number will be higher each time you visit the site). > > 297070793/700000=424.38 Eeach doctor has on average 424 patients. > > Using these figures we get each doctor’s accidental death rate is 1.3% or 5.83/424! > > But sill this is all skewed. Not everyone goes to the doctor. Many > people go years without seeing one. And like I said before IMHO I find > that 120,000 accidental deaths a highly suspicious figure. Err sorry! Ignore this. I did this late at night and the above is wrong. If each Dr had 5.83 accidental death the number would be a lot higher than 120000. :smack: But the figure 120000/700000 = 0.1714 0.1714 is the number of average acidental deaths per Dr. 0.1714 \* 700000 = 120000. Witch means each Dr is responcible for 0.1714%, also, of the total accidental deaths. Or am I wrong! and like other posters. How is accidental deaths defined!