in various Countries in Europe, 265 



The causes of the diminution of mortality where civilization 

 is progressive, are — 



The draining of marshes, and the embanking of streams and rivers ; the 

 favourable division of public wealth, which affords each individual labour 

 and subsistence ; the abundance and good quality of the food of the people ; 

 the attention bestowed on children from birth, and continued in schools, 

 manufactories, and public establishments ; vaccination, and sanitary arrange- 

 ments, which prevent the importation or development of contagious dis- 

 eases ; the low price of the productions of industry, allowing the less af- 

 fluent classes to enjoy those habits of cleanliness which were equally unknown 

 and beyond their reach, and furnishing them with the means of escaping the 

 intemperateness of the season ; lastly, the successful measures adopted for 

 diminishing the insalubrity of towns, and especially of colleges, theatres, hos- 

 pitals, prisons, churches, and other public establishments, which, in many 

 places, are still without the means of ventilation, heating, and cleaning. 



The results of such ameliorations may be appreciated in a con- 

 vincing manner, by inquiring what has been their influence on 

 mortality during the last century in the three European coun- 

 tries where their progress has been most obvious. If we collect 

 England, Germany, and France in one group, we find, that the 

 average term of mortality which, in that great and populous re- 

 gion, was formerly 1 in 30 people annually, is not, at present, 

 more than 1 in 38. This difference reduces the number of deaths 

 throughout these countries from 1 ,900,000, to less than 1,200,000 

 persons ; and 700,000 lives, or 1 in 83 annually, owe their pre- 

 servation to the social ameliorations effected in the three coun- 

 tries of western Europe, whose efforts to obtain this object have 

 been attended with the greatest success. 



The life of man is thus not only embellished in its course by 

 the advancement of civilization, but is even extended by it, and 

 rendered less doubtful. The effects of the amelioration of the 

 social condition are to restrain and diminish, in proportion to the 

 population, the annual number of births, and in a still greater 

 degree that of deaths ; on the contrary, a great number of births, 

 equalled or even exceeded by that of deaths, is a characteristic 

 sign of a state of barbarism. In the former case, as men in a 

 raafe reach the plenitude of their physical and social development, 

 the population is strong, intelligent, and manly ; whilst it remains 

 in perpetual infancy where generations are swept off without be- 

 ing able to profit by the past, to bring social economy to perfec- 

 tion. 



