vii 



General Council of Medical Education and Registration for 1864, 

 1865, and 1866. In 1869, Dr. Alderson had the honour of knight- 

 hood conferred on him, and in the following year the honorary degree 

 of D.C.L. by the University of Oxford. 



Five years later Sir James Alderson was appointed Physician Ex- 

 traordinary to Her Majesty. 



Though an observant and experienced physician, he was not a 

 frequent contributor to the literature of his profession. He delivered 

 the Lumleian Lectures in 1852 and 1853, and, what is unusual, was 

 twice appointed to deliver the Harveian Oration, viz., in 1854 and 

 1867. He pointed out and described collapse of the lung in connexion 

 with whooping-cough in a paper read before the Medico-Chirargical 

 Society, and published in the Transactions of that Society. 



He was also the author of a work, published in 1847, on " Diseases 

 of the Stomach and Alimentary Canal," in which he embodied the 

 result of his extensive experience in a most important class of 

 diseases. 



Charles Atstsell, a distinguished actuary, for many years known 

 as the father of his profession, was born in December, 1794. When 

 14 years old, he entered the " Atlas " office as a junior, and two years 

 later was appointed on the staff. In 1823 he was raised to the post of 

 Actuary of the Company, which he retained till 1864, a period of 41 

 years. He then retired, but retained the office of Consulting Actuary. 

 He held the same responsible post in several other societies, and 

 among them the National Provident, of which he completed the Bonus 

 investigation when in his 80th year — a notable tour de force for one of 

 so advanced an age. 



Mr. Ansell was often consulted by the Government on subjects 

 bearing on national finance, and in 1864 was warmly commended by 

 Mr. Gladstone. He was also examined before several Select and 

 Royal Commissions, on questions involving actuarial considerations. 

 He was, however, best known for the services he rendered to 

 Friendly Societies, on which subject he wrote a valuable treatise in 

 1835, having been elected F.R.S. the previous year. This treatise 

 was issued as one of the series published by the Society for the 

 Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, which body is credited with the 

 first successful attempt to collect facts bearing on the sickness and 

 mortality of the working classes of England. The Society caused 

 schedules to be printed and circulated, and those returns which were 

 least imperfect among them Mr. Ansell used as materials for his tables 

 and calculations. The comprehensive and scientific character of this 

 work may be inferred from the fact that it treats of " The Doctrine of 

 Interest of Money" and "The Doctrine of Probability," contains 

 numerous tables, and an appendix of the Acts of Parliament relating 



