184 



PULSE. 



sufficiently numerous to furnish a fair ave- 

 rage. * 



It would appear, then, that even at a very 

 early period of life, the difference of the sexes 

 is marked in the pulse f ; that this difference 

 is very inconsiderable in infancy, but well 

 marked in childhood. 



The following table presents, in septennial 

 periods, the results of the observations of 

 the writer during the whole of life. Each 

 average is founded on 25 observations, made 

 with great care, in apparently healthy per- 

 sons, fasting, in a state of rest, in the middle 

 of the day, and in a sitting posture. 



The same remarks apply to this table as to 

 former tables. The number of facts is not 

 large enough to give a steady and progressive 

 decrease from childhood to age ; but that the 

 approximation to a true result is sufficiently 

 close for all practical purposes may be in- 



* The averages are deduced from the following 

 numbers of facts. Under 2 years, 28 and 21 facts ; 

 2 to 5 years, 27 and 23 facts ; 5 to 8 years, 32 and 

 33 facts ; 8 to 12 years, 46 and 59 facts. 



f This is in accordance with the observations of 

 M. Valleix. (Op. cit.) 



J An average of 18 observations on males between 

 80 and 90 by Dr. Pennock gives 72 beats. 



Observations by Dr. Pennock on 37 females be- 

 tween 80 and 90 give an average of 75 only ; and 

 observations on 7 females between 90 and 115, 76. 



ferred from the following comparison of the 

 extreme and mean results derived from 25 

 and 50 observations respectively on the pulses 

 of healthy males. 



A similar comparison in the female issues 

 in the same manner, as will be seen by the 

 following table. 



It will be seen that in neither comparison 

 does the difference between the averages for 

 the larger and smaller number of observations 

 exceed two beats, while the extremes, with 

 one exception (the minima in the male, from 

 7 to 14), are the same. The sufficiency of 

 the averages for practical purposes may also 

 be fairly inferred from the result of a simple 

 process of elimination adopted in the case of 

 the female pulse. By taking 26 observa- 

 tions, and excluding the three maxima and the 

 three minima, as being possibly due to a de- 

 parture from perfect health, an average of 20 

 observations was obtained, which gave the 

 following regular series of numbers for the 

 twelve septennial periods of the table 98, 

 94, 81, 80, 79, 78, 75, 75, 77, 78, 81, 82, 

 showing a steady and progressive decrease 

 during the first eight periods, and an equally 

 progressive increase during the last four 

 periods. 



The difference between the male and female 

 pulse continues to be well marked in advanced 

 ages. Thus, in the observations of Leuret 

 and Mitivie, the average frequency in 27 aj>ed 

 men was 73, and in 34 aged women 79. The 

 average obtained by Drs. Hourmann and Des- 

 chambre, by observations on 255 aged females, 

 was 82. Dr. Pennock's averages are 72 for 

 aged males, and 78 for aged females. 



The general results deducible from the fore- 

 going tables, in reference to the influence of 

 sex on the pulse, may be thus expressed : 



1. The female pulse differs little from the 

 male pulse during the first seven years of life ; 

 but after seven years of age the mean pulse of 

 the female exceeds that of the male by from 6 

 to 14 beats ; the average excess being 9 beats, 



