A STUDY IN LONGEVITY. 
CHARLES H. CHANDLER, 
Professor of Mathematics, Ripon College. 
Two years ago I presented to the Academy a few facts re¬ 
lating to the topic which I now offer for consideration, and 
it may be desirable at this time to make a, brief restatement of 
the line of thought. 
There can be no doubt of the great advance which the pass¬ 
ing years have brought in the prevention and treatment of dis¬ 
ease in all civilized communities, with a resultant lengthening 
of the mean period of human life. But apparently there has 
been very little, if any, gain in respect to the proportion of 
deaths among young children, a paradox which perhaps may 
be explained by the recognition of an increase in the perils 
to infant life due to an increasing proportion of urban popu¬ 
lation sufficient to balance all pathological advance. On the 
other hand, census statistics seem to assure us that the median 
age is advancing, a fact which can be reconciled with the one 
previously stated only by assuming a, decrease of deaths, in 
youth and early manhood. This consideration offers place 
for the pessimistic view that the boasted advance in overcom¬ 
ing the power of disease is by no means a blessing, since many 
who by the beneficent working of the law of the survival of 
the fittest would have been removed at a comparatively early 
age are now unduly preserved to becomje the progenitors, of a 
race sadly deficient in physical vigor: a condition which is 
asserted to be shown by a marked decrease in the proportion 
of people attaining old age, despite the increased mean age at 
death. 
