Dr. bland’s Midwifery Reports 
But this question might he refolved, with a tolerable degree of 
accuracy, if to the regifrer of the names of the perlbns ad- 
mitted to the feveral charities were added the places of their 
birth. Again, the great mortality of the human lpecies, 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 afcertain them, by noting the num- 
ber of children a promifcuous multitude of women had borne, 
together with the number they had been able to preferve. 
This, however, is what I have here done ; and from it I 
have attempted to form a table, fhewing the chance of life at 
different periods. l am far from pretending that by this mode 
clear arid certain intelligence will be obtained ; but in a matter 
of fuch moment, I prefume, that any afliftance will be accepta- 
ble. Dr. SMELLIE * has curforily 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 neceflary to 
be known than the former. With a view to thefe, and other 
ufeful purpofes, the following regilfer has been kept of the 
moft material circumflances concerning the patients admitted to 
the midwifery-department of the Weftminfter General Difpen- 
fary, from its firfi: inftitution, in the year 1774, to the prefen t 
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 Midwifry, 8to, p, 195. 
7 
4* The 
