ISOO.J 



CARPENTER — ON VITAL STATISTICS. 



201 



28. Death-rate, per 7?ionths and ages, at the Montreal 

 Foundling Hospital, 1868. 



A comparison of figures in the seeond column fully bears out 

 the common impression in the city that children born in winter 

 have much greater chance of life than those born in summer. 

 The following table exhibits the frightful loss of life to the 

 community from parental neglect. 



29. Balance of Life at the Montreal Fonndling Hospital. 



Many persons have attributed this excess of mortality to 

 the existence of the Foundling Hospital; and one of the 

 "religious" newspapers asserted (although the facts of the case 

 were easily accessible) that " it was estimated that about 2,000 

 children die annually in it." * In order to correct these and 

 other unfounded rumours, the Mere Superieure of the Sceurs 

 Grises has obligingly furnished the writer with the needful 

 statistics, which, without any exaggeration, are appalling in the 

 extreme. The Sisters are quite willing to allow that, with more 

 knowledge, and with more means at their disposal to render 

 available the knowledge already possessed, a much larger propor- 



* See the Echo of June I9th, 1867. 

 Vol. IV. Q 



No. 2. 



