THE PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT OF MAN. 



121 



On comparing this Table witli Dr Heysliani's. showing the mortality 

 at Carlisle, or with the returns of the Registry Commission for the king- 

 dom of Sweden, we find that the inhabitants of London are, with the 

 sole exception of the centenaries, subject to a greater mortality than 

 the residenters in small towns, villages, or the open country. This arises 

 chiefly from the vices, unhealthy occupations, sedentary habits, and the 

 want of cleanliness, so remarkable among the lower classes of the people, 

 who in all large cities form the great mass of the population. 



The apparent difference is, however, greatly diminished, if we make 

 allowance for the circumstance, that the hospitals are almost always 

 established in towns, and many of the sick brought to them from the 



country. Out of 21,000 deaths recorded in Paris, nearly 7000 took place 

 at the hospitals. Although the inhabitants of the country enjoy a purer 

 air, a more sober and regular life, it caimot be denied that rural employ- 

 ments subject them to many hardships, so that it may be fairly ques- 

 tioned whether the real disadvantages of cities are so great as a compa- 

 rison of Tables of Mortality would indicate. ' 



From the Returns obtained in the whole kingdom of Sweden and Fin- 

 land, by the Tabell-verket, or Registry Commission, during the 50 years 

 preceding 1805, the e.xpectation of human Ufe was found to vary as in the 

 following Table ; — 



The Expectation of Human Life, 

 Deduced from the Observed Mortaliti/ in Sweden and Finland, during the 50 years from 1755 to 1805. 



At Hu-th, 



3G.(j4 years. 



Age 25 



35 40 years. 



Age 50 



18.71 years. 



Age 75 



5.95 years. 



Age 5 



48.24 . 



30 



32.00 . 



65 



15.66 . 



i 80 



4.43 . 



10 



4G.28 . 



35 



28.64 . 



60 



12.69 . 



1 85 



3.43 . 



15 



42.69 . 



40 



25.20 . 



65 



10 07 . 



90 



2.43 . 



20 



38.98 . 



4.5 



21.98 . 



70 



7.74 . 







These investigations were commenced under the direction of M. War- 

 gentin, and continued by MM. Nicander and Leyonmarck. 



We here see that the probable expectation of the life of an Infant just 

 born, is rather more than that of a person aged 25 years : that the best 

 period of hfe is midway between the ages of 5 and 10, and that the value 

 of life does not diminish in the direct ratio of the years which gradually roll 

 away, a circumstance not usually attended to by ordinary calculators. 

 Although the expectation of human life diminishes with increasing years, 

 it always decreases in a smaller ratio. Thus, at 65 years of age, the ex- 

 pectation of life is 10 years, while at 75 it is still 6 years. The proba- 

 bilities of death during these 10 years being already decided and con- 

 verted into certainty, the remaining probabilities after 75 can alone affect 

 the result. 



We are still in want of accurate returns of the Mortality prevalent at 

 the several ages over the entire Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. 

 In this respect, the government of Sweden has set an example to the rest 

 of Europe, well worthy of imitation. 



In the absence of more accurate Observations, Dr Thomas Young 

 formed a hypothetical Table of all the observations made in Great Bri- 

 tain previous to the year 1824 ; but, from the influence of the London 

 Bills of Mortality, and the want of returns from other parts of the king- 

 dom, the mortality of this country would appear by his Table to be very 

 considerably greater than that of Sweden and Finland. However, until 

 some system of observations, embracing the entire kingdom, is set on foot 

 by our government, we must remain in comparative ignorance of the pro- 

 babilities of life at the several ages as far as regards our own country. 



The Expectation of Human Life, 

 According to the Mean of all the Observations in Great Britain, previous to the year 1824. 



Age. 



Veara. 



Age. 



Years. 



Age. 



Yearo 



Age. 



Years. 



Age. 



Years. 



1 

 Age. 



Years. 



Age. 



Years. 



Age. 



Years. 



At Birth. 



30 



15 



37.6 



30 



i;7.8 



44 



20.1 



oS 



13 1 



72 



7 2 



86 



3.2 



lUO 



■zA 



1 



36.8 



16 



36.8 



31 



27.3 



45 



19.5 



59 



12.6 



73 



6.8 



87 



3.0 



101 



2.1 



2 



40.6 



17 



36.0 



32 



26,7 



46 



19.0 



60 



12.1 



74 



6.5 



88 



2.8 



102 



1.8 



3 



42.5 



18 



35.3 



33 



26.1 



47 



18.5 



61 



117 



75 



6.1 



89 



2.6 



103 



1.8 



4 



43.5 



19 



34.6 



34 



25 



.18 



18.0 



62 



11.2 



70 



58 



90 



2.5 



104 



2.4 



5 



43 9 



20 



33.9 



35 



25 



49 



17.5 



63 



10.8 



77 



5.5 



91 



2.4 



105 



3.0 



6 



43.8 



21 



33.2 



36 



24.4 



50 



16.9 



64 



10.3 



78 



5.2 



92 



2.5 



106 



3.5 



7 



43 6 



22 



325 



37 



23.9 



51 



16.4 



65 



9.9 



79 



4.9 



93 



2.5 



107 



2.8 



8 



43.1 



23 



31.9 



38 



23.3 



52 



159 



66 



9.5 



80 



4.6 



94 



2.5 



108 



2.5 



9 



42.0 



24 



31.3 



39 



22.8 



53 



15.4 



67 



9.1 



81 



4.3 



95 



2.7 



109 



2.0 



10 



41.9 



25 



307 



40 



22.2 



54 



15.0 



68 



8.7 



82 



4.1 



90 



2.9 



no 



1.5 



11 



41.2 



26 



30.2 



41 



21.7 



55 



14.5 



69 



8.3 



83 



3.9 



97 



2.9 



111 



1.0 



12 



40.5 



27 



296 



42 



21 2 



56 



14.0 



70 



7.9 



84 



36 



98 



2.9 



112 



0.5 



13 



39.8 



28 



29.0 



43 



20.6 



57 



13.5 



71 



7.5 



85 



3.4 



99 



3.1 



113 



0.0 



14 



38.3 



29 



28.4 



























From the limited number of survivors who attained the age of 90, the 

 results in the aliove table above that age cannot be relied on. 



Tiie Tables of Observation made at Carlisle by Dr Heysham approach 

 very nearly to those procured from the whole kingdom of Sweden, and 

 probably rejiresent the average Mortality among tlie upper and middle 

 classes of society more correctly than any other in this country. We 

 there find, out of 10,000 infants at birth, that one-fourth die before they 

 attam the age of 3 years, and one-third before the age of 6 years. Fur- 

 ther, that only one arrives at 



The age of 41 

 62 

 69 

 73 

 75 

 80 

 85 

 90 

 95 

 100 

 104 



out of 



2 Infants. 



3 ... 



4 ... 



5 .. 



6 ... 

 10 ... 

 22 ... 

 70 ... 



333 ... 



,111 ... 



10,000 



The annual mortality observed to prevail among the entire population 

 of civilized countries, varies according to local circumstances, more espe- 

 31 



ciallv in respect to their state of peace or war, plenty or scarcity. In 

 Swedi^n and Finland, one male out of 35J^. and one female out of 39, died 

 annuallv, during the 20 years preceding 1795. In the whole population 

 of England, there died annually in the 10 years preceding 1810 

 One out of 43i males, 

 and One out of 48 females. 



Owing to the sudden changes of temperature, the beginnings of spring 

 and autumn, about tlie time of the equinoxes, are the most unfavorable 

 periods of the year; and in tropical climates, where theie are only 

 two seasons, the most dangerous periods are about the times when these 

 seasons cliange. 



By Dr Heysham's Observations at Carlisle, it appeared that the intensity 

 of mortality there was least in the montli of August for both sexes, and 

 at its maximum for females in the month of May ; and for males, as well 

 as the whole population without distinction of sex, in October. Dr Short's 

 Observations, collected at Derby, Chester, York, Lancaster, and other 

 parts of England, indicate that the maximum mortality occurs in April, 

 and its minimum in August; so as fully to confirm the popular opinion 

 that settled weather is healthy, and frequent transitions unhealthy, espe- 

 cially sudden changes from heat to cold, and the contrary — [Milne's Trea- 

 tise on the Valuation of Annuities and Assurances.] 



According to the London Bills of Mortality, during the ten years pre- 

 ceding 1810, the numbers cut offby certain well-known diseases were as 

 follows:— Consumption, 43,905; Fevers of all kinds, 16,204; Old Age, 



