INFLUENCE OF MARRIAGE. 283 



manifested at all ages, being always more strongly 

 marked in men than in women.' The superior 

 mortality among widows and widowers can manifestly 

 be explained otherwise than by assuming marriage to 

 be beneficial ; if it could not, it might act to some 

 degree as a deterrent, seeing that the possibility of 

 becoming a widower or widow is one of the contingen- 

 cies to which each man or woman who marries is 

 exposed. But at a first view the general theory that 

 marriage conduces to longevity seems to be made out 

 by such statements as the above. So also Dr. Drysdale's 

 statements are regarded, by those unfamiliar with the 

 principles on which the interpretation of statistical 

 evidence depends, as demonstrating, beyond possibility 

 of doubt or question, the influence of marriage in pre- 

 venting crime, insanity, and early death. It appears 

 from French statistics (chiefly) that married men are 

 less frequently charged with crime than bachelors, and 

 that single women are much more criminal than 

 married women. Among those who have to be sent to 

 maisons de sante, again, are many more single men 

 and women than married folk. * Men are far more 

 benefited by marriage than women, according to sta- 

 tistics,' proceeds the report of Dr. Drysdale's lecture ; 

 'but when men marry before twenty-three years of 

 age, they die rapidly. With this exception there is a 

 higher rate of mortality among bachelors than among 

 married men. As to women, the married state is 

 favourable to them after the age of twenty-five, and 

 after reaching forty-five they live very much longer 



