of the same mortal disease to the whole mortality in another period; and the variation educed by this comparison will be strictly correct, provided that either the periods of time, or the total deaths in each period, be equal. In the former of the above periods, the deaths among infants were 35,925; in the latter 32,439: giving a reduction in the mortality of infants, during these late years, of 3486 in a general mortality of 116,513; which reduction, if it were extended over the whole world, would make a gain to population of twenty-seven millions of infants in the course of the mortality of a generation of human beings!

We are now to examine by what variations in those particular diseases, which more especially belong to infant age, this reduction is explained-and how the general amount of mortality in the adult, during this period, seems to have been affected by it—which inquiry will show how far this saving of infant lives has been a positive gain to population, and will also confirm, or limit, or refute the proposition of Malthus.

On collating the London Mortuary Tables for those several periods, it appears that the following infantile diseases have fallen in mortality, and are on the decline.

a This decline nearly equals one-third of its former total mortality!

b Decline equals one-half of its former total mortality.

The decline is one-third of its former total mortality in six years!

* Infancy comprises all persons below two years of age.

The table of the number of deaths at particular ages evinces, however, that the actual saving of infant lives during this latter period was below four thousand; whence it is manifest that some other infantile diseases must have greatly risen in mortality in the interval of those periods. These are exhibited in the following table.

Had the diseases enumerated in the first table not fallen in mortality, and had the measles &c. in the second table assumed their present rate of destruction, the deaths among infants had

a It is more than probable that many cases of this class of disease may in the preceding table have been confounded with convulsions; but the results which these tables are adduced to exhibit are not affected by this error, inasmuch as on combining these two classes, in the several periods, there is a disparity of nearly five thousand-shewing incontestibly a saving of infants in the recent period.

The total amount of the deaths which are comprised in these two tables, during the former period being 45,623, and during the latter period 39,704, and the actual deaths below two years being in the former period 35,925, in the latter 32,439; there are at least 9698 cases of these disorders in the first instance, and 7265 in the second, which must have occurred after infancy, and consequently are to be transferred to the subsequent tables.—Vide note* p. 125.

now been 49417 (a) out of a total mortality on all ages of 116514, in the course of the six recent years, instead of 32439—or there had been an augmentation in the infant mortality of 104 (b) millions in an entire generation.-Had the former class on the contrary, fallen, and the latter received no increase, the mortality would have been only 27,913 in this period:—that is, there would have been a saving of infant lives equivalent to 34(c) millions in a generation. Such vast elements are these diseases in the powers which are destined for the repression of human life!

There is a difference in the grand totals of the last columns. of the above tables of 5919; while the actual saving of infant lives, during the recent period, is shewn in the BILLS to be only 3486: there are consequently 2433 deaths to be transferred from the total of decline in table I. (which has been assumed to consist for the most part of deaths in infants) to the class of adults' diseases in the subsequent table.

What then are the variations in those diseases which prevail for the most part among adults?

The diseases among ADULTS, (d) which have recently fallen in mortality.

a That is, on the assumption that all the numbers in these tables consist of infants; but as from note b p. 121, some of the cases were adults, the actual deaths in infants would be about 45,000; and the ratio of augmented mortality 55 millions in a generation.

b This is obtained by multiplying 7724, the proportion of 116,514, to 900,000,000 by 13,492, which is the difference of 49,417 and 35,925.

c The product-namely, of 4526, which is the difference of 32,439 and 27,913, into the proportion of the mortality of the London bills to the general mortality of the world; this saving however would happen not in six years, but in thirty years-the supposed average period of the existence of a race of mankind.

d This term is used in contradistinction to infants, and designates all above the age of two years.

To this total, the addition of 2433 deaths from the diseases in Table I, (which is the difference in the numbers of small-pox and convulsions, during the two periods, which must have occurred after infancy,) makes the true decrease in the diseases of adults, to be 12,899 in the course of the six recent years.

The diseases among ADULTS, which have recently risen in mortality.

a This term, it has been supposed, comprises various ill-defined cases of decline, from long internal diseases, and therefore is not to be taken as a criterion of the mortality from phthisis or pulmonary consumption; but the author has ascertained from the observations of several physicians, that the deaths from diseases of the lungs taken together, are quite equal to the proportion herein assigned.

b Many of this number may have been cases of supposed internal mortification; yet it is probable that the greater part consists of external gangrene, which is very prevalent in the overgrown poor-houses of the metropolis.