Chap. VIII. Proportion of the Sexes 243 



Faye states " that in some districts of Norway there has been 

 " during a decennial period a steady deficiency of boys, whilst 

 *' in others the opposite condition has existed." In France 

 during forty-four years the male to the female births have been 

 as 106*2 to 100; but during this period it has occurred fire 

 times in one department, and six times in another, that the 

 female births have exceeded the males. In Eussia the average 

 proportion is as high as 108-9, and in Philadelphia in the United 

 States as 110'5 to 100. 49 The average for Europe, deduced by 

 Bickes from about seventy million births, is 106 males to 100 

 females. On the other hand, with white children born at the 

 Cape of Good Hope, the proportion of males is so low as to fluctuate 

 during successive years between 90 and 99 males for every 100 

 females. It is a singular fact that with Jews the proportion of 

 male births is decidedly larger than with Christians : thus in 

 Prussia the in-oportion j s as n$ } j n Breslau as 114, and in 

 Livonia as 120 to 100 ; the Christian births in these countries 

 being the same as usual, for instance, in Livonia as 104 to 100. 60 

 Prof. Faye remarks that " a still greater preponderance of 

 w males would be met with, if death struck both sexes in equal 

 " proportion in the w T omb and during birth. But the fact is, that 

 " for every 100 still-born females, we have in several countries 

 " from 1346 to 144*9 still-born males. During the first four or 

 " five years of life, also, more male children die than females ; 

 " for example in England, during the first year, 126 boys die for 

 " every 100 girls — a proportion which in France is still more 

 " unfavourable." 51 Dr. Stockton-Hough accounts for these facts 

 in part by the more frequent defective development of males 

 than of females. We have before seen that the male sex is more 



49 For Norway and Russia, see 343. Dr. Stark also remarks 

 abstract of Prof. Faye's researches, (' Tenth Annual Report of Births, 

 iu 'British and Foreign Medico- Deaths, &c, in Scotland,' 1867, p. 

 Chirurg. Review,' April, 1867, pp. xxviii.) that "These examples may 

 343, 345. For France, the ' An- " suffice to shew that, at almost 

 nu.ure pour l'An 1867,' p. 213. " every stage of life, the males in 

 For Philadelphia, Dr. Stockton- " Scotland have a greater liability 

 Hough, 'Social Science Assoc' 1874. " to death and a higher death-rate 

 For the Cape of Good Hope, Quetelet " than the females. The fact, hew- 

 as quoted by Dr. H. H. Zouteveen, " ever, of this peculiarity being 

 in the Dutch Translation of this " most strongly developed at that 

 work (vol. i. p. 417), where much " infantile period of life when the 

 information is given on the propor- " dress, food, and general treatment 

 tion of the sexes. " of both sexes are alike, seems tc 



50 In regard to the Jews, see M. " prove that the higher male death- 

 Thury, 'La Loi de Production des " rate is an impressed, natural, and 

 Sexts/ 1863, p. 25. " constitutional peculiarity due to 



51 ' British and Foreign Medico- " sex alone." 

 Chirurg. Review,' April, 1867, p. 



