Comparisons are used in this paper to identify improvements in mortality and morbidity experiences over time, to identify new environmental hazards, and to emphasize the potential for improvement. The comparisons are presented in the full belief that racial variations are fundamentally socioeconomic variations. Efforts are also made to identify areas of mortality and/or morbidity where available data suggest an interaction between environment and black identification. These are accompained by descriptions of the types of information needed to interpret these phenomena and of actions necessary to reduce the added disease burden among blacks. In general, death rates within socioeconomic groups become more alike and those between groups more variable as infectious diseases are brought under control. Variations between socioeconomic groups are the compound result of a number of factors. Some of the most important are: exposure to the causes of chronic diseases, access to and use of medical services, personal health behavior, and individual resistance. The last is a physiological state that itself is the consequence of an interplay of environmental experiences, genetic endowment, and health behavior. Some effort is made to interpret the mortality statics presented in terms of these contributing factors. A useful overall perspective is gained from summaries of the pattern of changes in major causes of death across all ages. (Author/AM)