REID — ON MORTALITY. 245 



Aster, nemoralis. Ait. 



Stem simple or corymbose at the top, leafy, the leaves crowded 

 below the branches, or midway on the simple axis, which is often 

 single-flowered ; heads few, branches when present usually single- 

 flowered and naked ; stem and branches having short hairs ; scales 

 lance linear acute squarrose, margins and tips scarious ; rays pale 

 purple or roseate, never white, 15 to 25 in number ; leaves narrow, 

 lanceolate, entire sessile; upper surface rugous and scabrous, edges 

 scabrous and revolute, "more revolute in the upper than in the 

 lower leaves; V to 1%' in some subdentate, lessening from below 

 upwards, an inhabitant of swampy pastures, rather a pretty Aster, 

 generally the first to put forth flowers — July ; with a resemblance 

 to the above, it is sufficiently distinct for easy diagnosis from it ; 

 they are both included in the div. scariosa or orthomeris, Torr & 

 Gray, differing from Asters proper by their membranous scales. 



Art. II. — Mortality Rates of Ancient and Modern Times. 

 By A. P. Eeid, M. D., L. R. A. S., etc., etc., Pro 

 fessor of Medicine, etc., Halifax Medical College. 



{A Paper read at the Institute of Natural Science, Halifax, N. S., Canada, 



Jan. 8th, 1877.) 



The idea of our great recent progress is so generally received, 

 that it may be well to take a retrospective glance and see how 

 much in reality has been accomplished. 



To get a fair understanding of our subject, let us revert to th e 

 period when natural laws were untrammelled, and we had the best 

 examples of health, which, without doubt, prevailed in a very 

 early period of history. We may conclude that the Pastoral Life 

 furnished every sanitary requirement, — good drainage and ventila- 

 tion, and temperate and sufficient exercise and diet, without facility 

 for effeminate habits. Under these circumstances, it is safe to con- 

 clude that, excepting accidents, death resulted from old age. 



