LAWS OF THE FERTILITY OF WOMEN. 



297 



children. For it is observed, that not only are wives most fecund from 20 to 24, 

 but also that they begin the career of fertility sooner than their younger or elder 

 sisters. 



TABLE V. — Showing the Interval between Marriage and the Birth op a 

 First Child in Wives Married at Different Ages. 









Mother's 



Age at Marriage. 



























Total. 



15-19. 



20-24. 



25-29. 



30-34. 



• 



35-39. 40-44. 



45-49. 





1 Less 



94 



325 



126 



44 



15 



4 





608 





1 



409 



1,259 



533 



135 



49 



3 



2 



2.390 





2 



83 



202 



88 



45 



17 



2 



* • • 



'437 





3 



25 



50 



35 



12 



10 



1 





133 





4 



8 



31 



13 



8 



1 



... 





61 





5 



13 



10 



3 



3 



3 







32 



. 



6 



5 



14 



6 



1 



1 







27 





7 



5 



3 



1 



3 





... 





12 



u 



S3 



8 



1 



3 



1 



... 





, . . 





5 



S 



9 



2 



3 









, , 





5 



CO 



- 



10 



• • • 



1 









, . , 



• • . 



1 



S3 



11 





1 



2 











3 



&H 



12 

 13 



2 

 1 



1 

 1 



1 





... 





... 



4 

 2 





14 













■ • • 





• • • 







15 



1 









• i • 



• • • 



. . 



• • • 



1 





16 





... 











, . 



■ • . 







17 















.. 



■ » • 



• * • 



\ 



18 





1 







... 



... 



•• 



... 



1 





| Total 



649 



1,905 



809 



251 



96 



10 



2 



3,722 



Average inter- 





















val between 



Year. 



1-516 



1-329 



1-350 



1-510 



1-594 1- 



400 



1-000 



1-385 



Marriage and 





or 



or 



or 



or 



or ( 



>r 



or 



or 



Birth of first 

 Child. 



Months. 



18-2 



15-9 



16-2 



18-1 



19-1 1 



6-8 



120 



166 



It is noteworthy, that while the average interval between marriage and the 

 birth of the first child is 17 months, the average interval between the births of 

 successive children, however numerous, is a little under 20 months ; the two 

 intervals approximating one another so closely as to destroy all probability of 

 the truth of the explanations usually offered for the delay of impregnation after 

 a recent childbirth, and of the efficacy of continued lactation in retarding the 

 occurrence of a new conception. And we shall soon see, in a quotation from 

 Sadler, that he finds that women who do not suckle their offspring have as long 

 an interval between conceptions as others. But, while Sadler by this demonstra- 

 tion destroys the only foundation for his invective against the rich who do not 

 suckle, he nevertheless proceeds enthusiastically, as if the dictum of physiologists 

 were valid, even after their argument was ruined. 



