CONTENTS 



CHAPTEE I 



PAGE 



HISTORICAL ... 17 



(I) Problems of population fall under two headings — quantitative 

 and qualitative ; the former have long attracted attention ; the 

 latter have, until recently, only sporadically aroused interest, (2) 

 Numbers were discussed in a restricted sense in Greece and Rome, but 

 it was not until the sixteenth century (3) that quantitative problems 

 were considered from- a modem point of view when (4) a dense popula- 

 tion was generally held to be advantageous. (5) This view was not 

 everywhere accepted, and (6) the relation between numbers and the 

 food-supply was from time to time discussed, and the position of 

 Malthus more or less anticipated. (7) In 1798 Malthus published 

 his book, which (8) was favourably received. (9) Neomalthusian 

 propaganda, though not approved by Malthus, began early. (10) 

 Darwin and Wallace were influenced by Malthus in founding the 

 hypothesis of natural selection, and from 1858 onwards qualitative 

 problems have come to assume an equally important place. 



CHAPTEE II 



THE BASIS OF THE POPULATION PROBLEM : (1) THE QUAN- 

 TITATIVE ASPECT 37 



(1) The ancestors of man were once subject to the conditions pre- 

 vaiUng among species in a state of nature. These conditions are 

 studied. (2) Reproduction, the necessity for which can be explained, 

 (3) always consists in the fusion of two gametes, but (4) is accomplished 

 by different methods. (5) Whatever the method, most ripe ova are 

 fertilized, though among lower forms failures may not be infrequent. 

 A reference to the nature of (6) reflex action, (7) instinct, (8) intelli- 

 gence, and (9) reason shows that, (10) whatever the stage of mental 

 evolution reached among species in a state of nature, reproduction is 

 essentially ' mechanical '. (11) The vast number of ova (12) is only 

 partially called for by the fact that a certain proportion only is 

 fertilized. The vast number is necessary because (13) owing to the 

 interdependence of all species a large proportion of the young of 

 (14) both animals (15) and plants perish before maturity (16) and 

 is determined by the sum of the dangers to which the young are 

 exposed. 



