30 



and so far as we can judge about equally. How do the ratios 

 compare ? — 427 is to 362 as 53,044 is to 44,965, which 44,965 is 

 so close an approximation to 44,971 as to be quite remarkable. 

 So that it is evident that when men and women are of the 

 reproductive age, and therefore are both under the influence of 

 this predisposing cause, they are both to an exactly equal 

 degree liable to consumption. Beyond the age of 45 there 

 were 15,327 men with 130 deaths, and 12,376 women with 51 

 deaths ; but with this number of females there ought to be 105 

 deaths, if the rate were the same in the two sexes. So that 

 among the women after 45 it is only one-half what it is among 

 men. Since after 45 the mortality among women is but little 

 more than one-half that before 45, it might be laid down as a 

 rule in female insurance that a consumptive history should 

 only be estimated at one-half the importance after 45 that it 

 holds prior to this age. It would seem, then, that so long as 

 women are subject to this predisposing cause they are as liable 

 to consumption as men, but that directly this influence is 

 withdrawn they are only half as liable. This to my mind 

 appears almost like a demonstration of the theory that the 

 reproductive function is a great predisposing cause of phthisis. 

 Would it be presumption to assert that this cause accounts for 

 one-half of the phthisis mortality. If we compare phthisis 

 among the two sexes — up to 20 among males, and up to 15 

 among females — it would seem at first glance as though the 

 deathrates should be equal, because above we have reckoned 

 from these ages. On examination, however, we find them not 

 equal. There are 56,824 males and 47,780 females ; 90 deaths 

 among the former and 52 among the latter. But to be in the 

 same proportion the female deaths should be 76 ; therefore it 

 would seem that even when the influence above indicated is 

 absent from both sexes the deaths from phthisis are among 

 males half as much again as among females. This would seem 

 to oppose the theory. But the opposition is only seeming, for 

 although in our former calculation we started from the ages of 

 20 and 15, this was not because all below those ages are free 

 from the influence, but because practically all above those 

 ages are subject to it, for without doubt many are possessed 

 of this function at earlier years, and it is quite certain that 

 this is the case to a much greater extent among males below 

 20 than among females below 15. Hence it is not proper to 

 compare the sexes below those ages respectively. "We should 

 expect the rate to be higher among the males. That it is 

 higher rather supports than opposes the theory. 



On the other hand, it will be as useless and improper to 

 contrast the sexes, both up to 15 years, because it is fairly 

 certain that the function is far more likely to exist among 



