38 Literary and Philosophical Society. 



delicate questions are often introduced, and these are 

 treated in a beautiful spirit ; but there are always cases 

 arising which are beyond advice, and such as must be left 

 to the wisdom of the agent nearest to act, whilst blame 

 will sometimes arise whatever he may do or leave undone. 

 Late editions show that this work of Dr. Percival's is still 

 valued. 



The beginning of Dr. Percival's sanitary work dates as 

 far back as 1773, and must be described, adding also a 

 communication by the Rev. Mr. Dade, of York, which was 

 appended to his own. It takes us back to a time before 

 the formation of the Society, but it is necessary to go so 

 far, as the connection must be made with work earlier as 

 well as much later than our first meeting. 



Proposals for establishing more accurate and comprehensive 

 Bills of Mortality in Manchester 1 (before 1773). 



' The establishment of a judicious and accurate register 

 of the births and burials in every town and parish would 

 be attended with the most important advantages, medical, 

 political, and moral. By such an institution, the increase 

 or decrease of certain diseases, the comparative healthiness 

 of different situations, climates, and seasons ; the influence 

 of particular trades and manufactures on longevity ; with 

 many other curious circumstances, not more interesting to 

 physicians than beneficial to mankind, would be ascer- 

 tained with tolerable precision. In a political view, exact 

 registers of human mortality are of still greater conse- 

 quence, as the number of people and the progress of 

 population in the kingdom, may in the most easy and 



utmost to preserve a life. In such things the profession frequently offends, as it 

 finds a life, however important, difficult to separate from a mere case. 

 1 Dr. Percival's Works, vol. iii. pp. 428-435. 



