6 Introduction 



community and hence that a reform of the community might reduce their 

 number. 



QuETELET pubhshed his observations in a book entitled "Sur I'homme 

 et le developpement de ses facultes ou Essai de physique sociale" 

 (Paris 1835). The book was remarkably successful/ but it fluttered 

 the dovecotes of respectability and raised considerable opposition; it 

 gave hypocrites a fine opportunity to illustrate their exceptional virtue. 

 Nevertheless, Leopold, first king of the Belgians, invited the author soon 

 afterwards (in 1836) to teach mathematics to his nephews, the young 

 princes, Ernest and Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and when the 

 princes were sent to the University of Bonn in the following year, Quete- 

 let continued his teaching in the form of letters dealing with the theory 

 of probability and its social applications. One of these princes became 

 the husband of Queen Victorl\.. The letters were published in French 

 in 1846 and in English translation in 1849.^ A young man who- read 

 them in English, Francis Galton (1822-1911), was deeply impressed 

 and the directions of his thought were modified accordingly.^ 



I have told this episode at some length, because it deserves to be 

 meditated. Though Quetelet found many collaborators and emulators 

 and the efforts of other sociologists converged with his, the results which 

 have been obtained down to our days fall considerably short of our hopes 

 and aspirations. It is true that some diseases, personal or social, have 

 been cured or alleviated by the use of scientific knowledge and technical 

 means combined with sincerity and moral courage; it will suffice to 

 quote venereal diseases, the abuse of intoxicants and narcotics, tubercu- 

 losis, slavery . . . Victories have been won but so much remains to 

 be done, which could have been done, that honest men of science feel 

 humbler and more contrite than ever. There are still millions of men 

 and women who are the victims of our greed and hypocrisy rather than 

 of their own shortcomings. 



We should not be disheartened, however. It is not quite fair to com- 

 pare the present situation with that of our dreams which may be realized 

 ( or not ) at some f utTire time; or at least we should compare it also with 



^ The Paris edition of 1835, was followed by a pirated one (Bruxelles 1836), and 

 by German and English translations (Stuttgart 1838, Edinburgh 1842). In the 

 new edition published in Bruxelles, Paris, Saint-Petersbourg in 1869, the title was 

 modified, the challenging words "Physique sociale" being printed in large type at 

 the beginning of it. Facsimiles and additional information in the Preface to Volume 

 XXIII of Isis (1935). 



^ Lettres sur la theorie des probabilites appliquee aux sciences morales et 

 pohtiques (Bruxelles 1846), dedicated to Ernest who had become in the mean- 

 while the reigning duke of Coburg. 



Harriet H. Shoen: Prince Albert and the application of statistics to problems 

 of government (Osiris 5, 276-318, 1938). 



^ Later in life Galton tended to minimize Quetelet's influence upon him. He 

 was struck by the fact that Quetelet's promises of 1835 did not bear as much fruit 

 as one might expect, but honestly recognized the immense difficulties involved. See 

 a letter of his to Florence Nightingale, dated 1891. Karl Pearson: Life, letters 

 and labours of Francis Galton (vol. 2, 420, 12, Cambridge 1924; Isis 8, 181-88; 

 22, 253-55). 



