Dr. Prout on simple Alimentary Substances. 31 



yearly, as the term is lengthened ; so that the values of the 

 perpetuity in both cases must differ from each other by less 

 than any assignable quantity, and therefore must be equal, 

 agreeable to Dr. Price's theorems, and so far prove the cor- 

 rectness of his solution : but this plain and obvious truth ap- 

 pears to F.R.S.L. to be a revolting paradox ; nor is it to be won- 

 dered at, considering his method of reasoning on the subject. 



In attempting to prove that Dr. Price employs two differ- 

 ent rates of interest in his method of computing, it is observed, 

 that "the discount on ten shillings, receivable at a certain 

 moment as a payment of the half yearly annuity, is greater in 

 the computation than the discount on ten shillings receivable 

 at the same moment as half an annual payment." 



Now as the present value often shillings, or a moiety of \l. 

 to be received at the end of six months, and the present value 

 often shillings to be received at the same time as the half- 

 yearly payment of the annuity, are expressed by the same 

 fraction j 5 .j^, it would, I believe, puzzle any person, however 

 well acquainted with the subject, to produce different results 

 in this case. 



At the conclusion of your Correspondent's remarks, Mr. 

 Morgan's documents respecting the probabilities of human 

 life are said to be " greatly calculated to encourage the po- 

 pular delusion of the improved healthiness and greater lon- 

 gevity of the people of this kingdom." Had he indeed as- 

 serted, as Dr. Young states in his paper in the Philosophi- 

 cal Transactions, that only one in 1500 died in the year 

 among the members of the Equitable Society, this accusation 

 would have been just ; but I should be glad to know in what 

 part of his works has Mr. Morgan been so absurd ? In the 

 Nosological Table at the end of his Treatise on Annuities he 

 represents the number of deaths in each year to be in the 

 proportion of 1930 to 151,754, or as 1 to 78 nearly. By 

 what rule in arithmetic these numbers are made to be in the 

 proportion of 1 to 1500, I shall not stop to inquire. 



F.R.S. 



IX. On the ultimate Composition of simple alimentary Sub- 

 stances ; with some preliminary Remarks on the Analysis of 

 organized Bodies in general. By William Prout, M.D. 

 F.R.S.* [With two Engravings.] 



T^HE present being the first of several communications on 

 x the same subject which I hope to have the honour of lay- 



* From the Philosophical Transactions, for 1827, Part ii. 



ing 



