538 Life and Letters of Francis Galton 



3. I fear I can't say whether permission to copy would be easily obtained ; I fancy most offices 

 would insist on a member of their own staff being employed, as much of the information in the 

 papers is confidential. 4. Application would really have to be made to each office. 5. The cost 

 would probably depend on the time taken, which would vary with the accessibility of the 

 material, some of the papers being stowed away in awkward places. 6. I would try to get samples 

 if you like from my own office. 



With regard to (4), (5) and (6) would it not be a good way to try to get the offices to combine 

 to investigate the data at their disposal? If offices could be got to see that the data would be 

 of practical use (which is the case) they would be more willing to agree, and would probably 

 bear some or all of the copying expense. The difficulty is how to approach them. This might be 

 done through the Institute of Actuaries, the Life Offices Association (a body which is a collec- 

 tion of Insurance Officials who meet for consideration in connection with practical routine) or 

 the Life Offices Medical Officers' Association (a body formed from the medical examiners of 

 assurance companies). 



If the Institute of Actuaries could be induced to issue a circular to the offices asking if they 

 would contribute, I think assurance companies would more willingly hand over their particulars 

 than to a private individual, even if it were known that the collected statistics would be 

 investigated by private individuals. 



I enclose a draft card which with slight alterations might be adopted. It will show the 

 particulars you can get. 



I will if you like mention the matter officially in my own office (the " Guardian "), but I fear 

 we could do little for some months as we have our quinquennial valuation on hand which means 

 that the whole staff is stopping late over that, and additional work is quite impossible at present. 

 I could mention the matter to one or two people in other offices if you think a preliminary 

 sounding would be a good thing. Of course, you will recognise that I am merely expressing 

 a personal opinion in my letter, but I shall be only too glad to help you in any way I can. 



Very faithfully yours, W. Palin Eldekton. 



On the basis of Mr Elderton's suggestions Galton drew up an address to 

 the Institute of Actuaries which ran as follows : 



February 11, 1905. 

 To the President and Council of the Institute of Actuaries. 



Gentlemen, Permit me to address you and call your attention to a serious actuarial need, 

 namely of better data than are now available for computing the influence of family and personal 

 antecedents on the longevity and health of individuals. 



A vast quantity of appropriate and trustworthy material appears to be stored in Life 

 Insurance Offices, out of which authenticated extracts might be furnished for the purpose of 

 statistical discussion. (To avoid suspicion of breach of trust, names might be replaced in the 

 Forms by register numbers, the keys to which would be confidentially used for the purpose only 

 of determining relationships between persons assured.) A Form on which the extracts might be 

 entered is enclosed in order to save lengthened explanation. It might doubtless be improved. 

 I am assured that no person or Society would be more competent to arrange the details of such 

 a scheme, or to bring it more weightily before the notice of the various Life Insurance 

 Companies, than your own. 



My justification for interfering in the matter is that the desired information would be 

 especially serviceable for my own inquiries into what the University of London has now 

 recognised under the title of " National Eugenics." On this account I am prepared to pay such 

 moderate preliminary expenses as may be needed for an experimental trial, being not without 

 hopes that the Insurance Companies may hereafter contribute to what will be of use to them- 

 selves. In the event of a prima Jacie approval, I would ask the President and Council of the 

 Institute of Actuaries to appoint a Committee to consider it in detail, with instructions to report 

 on what it might be useful and feasible to obtain from life Insurance Companies, on what 

 would be the probable cost of the extracts at the rate of so much per thousand, and on the 

 desirability of further action. 



