356 Da bland’s Midwifery Reports 
But this queftion might be refolved, with a tolerable degree of 
accuracy, if to the regifter of the names of the perfons ad- 
mitted to the feveral charities were added the places of their 
birth. Again, the great mortality of the human fpecies, par- 
ticularly in infancy, and the fmall chance a child has to attain 
to years of maturity, have been calculated from parifh-regifters, 
bills of mortality, &c. But I do not know, that an attempt 
has hitherto been made to afeertain them, by noting the num- 
ber of children a promiscuous multitude of women had borne, 
together with the number they had been able to preferve. 
This, however, is what I have here done i and from it I 
have attempted to form a table, fhewing the chance of life at 
different periods. I am far from pretending that by this mode 
clear and certain intelligence will be obtained ; but in a matter 
of fueh moment, I prefume, that any affiftance will be accepta- 
ble. Dr. smellie * has curforiiy mentioned, for the encou- 
ragement of his pupils, the fmall proportion of the unnatural 
and laborious births to the natural ; but he did not carry his 
views farther, or point out the proportionate number of confe- 
quent accidents, which might occur to retard or prevent the 
recovery of the woman, although this is not lefs neceffary to 
be known than the former. With a view to thefe, and other 
ufeful purpofes, the following regifter has been kept of the 
mod: material circumftances concerning the patients admitted to 
the midwifery-department of the Weftminfter General f)ifpen- 
lary, from its firft inftitution, in the year 17745 to the prefent 
time ; viz, 
1. The ages of the feveral women. 
2. The number of children they had borne. 
3. The fexes of the children, 
* See smellie’s Mtdwifry, 8vo, p. 195,. 
7 
4. The 
