58 ANALES DE LA SOCIEDAD CIENTÍFICA ARGENTINA 



is disturlbed by epidemies or wars, there is a tendenoy to compénsate 

 for tlie evil in different ways. Thus tlie fact, that for geuerations tlieie 

 have been born 106, 105 or 104 boys to every 100 girls, cannot be 

 accidental, but is due to some imknown low. This surplns of male 

 births compensates for tlie artificial excess in deaths of men (as com- 

 pared witli that of women) caiised by war and by greater exposare 

 to dauser in industrial life. 



RATIO OF MALE TO FEMÁLE BIRTHS INCREASES IN WAR TIMES 



But this snrplus or ratio of male to female births, further indicates 

 a tendency to compensation, by increasing during war times. Thus, 

 in Holstein, Gerraain ', where the excess in birth of males in 1835 to 

 1845 was 5.76 per cent, this perceutage during and after the German- 

 Danish and AustrianSardonian war period (1846-1853), increased to 

 6.67 per cent. So after the ISTapoleon wars (1806-1815) this phenome- 

 non ocurred in many countries. When Austria in 1866 was convulsed 

 with war, the excess of male births from 1864 was 6 per cent and in 

 1867, 7 per cent. 



This tendency to compensation by the increase of the ratio of male 

 to female births during or near war time will be further established, 

 when tables 28, 29, 30, chapter lY, are later considered. In this ap- 

 X)arent foresight apon the part of nature, to compénsate for the need 

 of males, on account of war, may possibly be the result of the psycho- 

 logical condition of the people when war feeling prevails, wich may 

 unconsciouvsly be the cause of the phenomenon. 



WAR AS A COMPENSATION FOR CRIME 



War also may act as a compensation for crime. For it may serve 

 as an equivalent of crime, a sort of escape valve for violence.against 

 law. Thus in New York State, the average number of our prisoners 

 became less as our civil war progressed. But after the war ceased, 

 crime increased. There were 2617 males in the prisons of New York 

 State in 1861; 2504 in 1862; 2096 in 1863, and 1818 in 1864. Butin 



' VoN OettíNGEN, Moral statistik, Erlangen, 1874. See also Heubner, Jahrhuch 

 für Volkswh'thschaft und Sf,atistik, 1861. 



