Mortality of Male Children . 255 
nervous fyftem fuffering lefs during delivery, on account of 
their heads being much fmaller than thofe of Angle children. 
Were I difpofed to be prolix, I could offer many more plaufible 
arguments on this fubjedt ; but to you, Sir, I am fure they 
would be unneceflary. There is only one circumftance re- 
maining, relative to the proportion qf the fexes, which 1 can- 
not pafs over in filence. We fee evident wifdom in the creation 
of a greater number of males than females ; but why the pro- 
portion they bear to each other differs in different countries and 
fituations, and why there fliould be a feventeenth more males 
born of fingle children than twins, are queftions which I leave 
to be decided by thofe philofophers who underftand the theory 
of generation better than I do. Be this as it may, I am con- 
vinced that the majority in favour of the male fex is foonqr 
deftroyed than the generality of writers feem to be aware of. 
Did the limits of this letter permit, I think, I could prove 
from Dr. Short’s own data*, that the majority of males is 
deftroyed long before the common marriageable period ; but I 
fliall content myfelf with an obfervation or two on the regiftry 
before us. If one~half of the whole born in this hofpital die 
before three years, which is the eftablifhed computation for 
great cities ; and if, on the lofs of fomewhat more than a 
third of this half, a majority of 1177 be reduced to 483 by a 
lofs of 694, as appears from the regiftry, it is pretty evident, 
that by the death of the two remaining thirds, a majority will 
be left in favour of the female fex. It is obvious, that the 
ftatement with regard to twins corroborates this fuppofition ; 
for of them, inflead of a fifth, there is near one half dead and 
ftill-born, the confequence of which is, that we fend out a 
majority of females. It may be ohjedted, that their males do 
* New Obfervations, p. 72. et feq. 
A a a % ncl 
