Because the range of total deaths varies significantly, it can be difficult to see the smaller counts on these graphs. Normalizing the data can improve visibility by removing drastic range differences. The two normalization options are log₁₀(x+1) and normalized. Log₁₀(x+1) transforms the data by adding one before taking the logarithm, which preserves zero values and mitigates right-skewed datasets, making them a more normal distribution. Normalized standardizes the data with mean normalization, which subtracts the average from each value. Both make smaller values more visible, and make comparison easier.

The remove plague deaths option graphs all causes of death except plague. Plague deaths are the primary outlier due to the outbreak in 1665. Removing the plague deaths allows greater visibility for smaller values with the original dataset.

Suggested citation

Please use the following as a suggested citation:

Savannah Scott, “Causes of Death,” Death by Numbers, Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media, George Mason University (2025): https://deathbynumbers.org/visualizations/sparklines-causes/.