Did They Hang On For 2000?

Experts say a desire to see the year 2000 may be behind the unusual number of deaths New York City experienced in the first week of the year.

Preliminary figures show 1,791 people died that week, a nearly 51 percent increase from the first seven days of 1999, and a 46 percent jump from the same period in 1998, reports The New York Times.

Many researchers have long believed people can postpone death until they reach a major milestone. And experts say the death statistics may back up this theory.

As Robert Butler, founder and president of the International Longevity Center put it: "The will to live can be pretty powerful."

National statistics are not yet available, and a spokesman for the city's health department said such data would take considerable time to analyze.

"It's pretty well established that people who are seriously ill will hang on to reach significant events, whether they are birthdays, anniversaries or religious holidays," said Richard Suzman, an associate director of the National Institute on Aging in Bethesda, Md. "In this case, making it into the next century or millennium certainly counts as that."