The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-05-29
From the Ediaburgh Philosophical Rerieu.
ON THE PROBABLE DURATION OF HUMAN
LIFE

LIFE.
DR.. CAsPAR, Of Berlin, in his valuable work,
entitled /. Der ,c0hrscheiniiche Lebcndam DIES
.Measchea, de-, 1885" alter having examined
the current opinions as to'the average duration
Of human life, and as 10 the most satisfactory
method of ascertaining such a result. an
nounces his own doctrine in the following
proposition: The proportion OF births to the
population in any place expresses almost ex-
acty the medium or average duration of life
there.
For example, suppose that this proportion
il in the ratio Of to %, then the average life
of,he inhabitants ofthe place will be found to
be 80 years.
II this rule be correct, il must follow that
the duration If life is increased and diminished
in population according as their lecundiiy
il greater or less, so that man, if not as an in
dividual, at least as member Of the mass,
may be said to have it in his power TO length
en- or abridge his life.
This, it true, is indeed a proposition Of great
Importance in political economy.
To prove that the mortality is in a direct
ratio with the fecundity Of any population,
and consequently that governments, seeing
that the force Of States consists not so much
on the mere number, as on the strength, fe-
cundity. and longevity Of their inhabitants,
ought not to favor or encourage an over-alnn.
dant population, the author has collected TO-
gether vast number Of facts, and for this pur-
pose has drawn up tables of the mortality, not
only in Prussia, but also in Britain, France
and Belgium.
From these researches he comes to the con-
cluson that every where the mortality is di-
rectly proportional to the fecundity of the
population.
This doctrine if confirmed by future inqni-
ries, may, to a certain extent, reconcile the
opinions Of Nautilus, and his opponentsx al i
shows that Nature herself tends TO remedy
the Evil Of u redundant population.
DR.. Casper gives valuable table OF the
mortality in Berlin, for twelve years, from
1877 10 1929 which comprises nearly 5000
deaths in nearly 100000 inhabitants.
The following are few interesting data
which are derivabe from his researches.
The longevity Of the female is greater than
that Of the male sex.
The age Of puberty carries off Sper cent.
more OF the female than Of the male sex.
The proportion Of deaths Of women in labor
is 10 los.
1t has been erroneous, although hitherto, a
very prevalent notion, that 4lse climacteric age
of woman has a markedmfincncc in increas-
ing the mortality Of the female sex.
This opinion has been shown to be ihcor-
rect by several statistical writer's, and the re-
searches of DR.. Casnai nfirm the accuracy
Of their statements. o. whole, therefore,
we may assert that the l0Igevity Of the fe-
male is greater than that ofthe male SEX.
It's also worthy OF notice that Of stil-born
infants, there are more of the male than Of the
female sex.
DR.. Caspar proceeds to show that the me-
dunn or average duration Of life has increased
considerably in most European cities Of late
years, in London this increase is great, for it
would seem that, within the last century, pro-
bable life has increased by twenty years.
AT Geneva, ..gain in the 18th century one
half Of the infants born there died, we are told,
before their fifth year, whereas in the present
day, il would appear that this half reaches
nearly AZ years Of an. A similar remark
may be made rs to th5ahcreased length of life
at Berlin.
DR.. Caspar treats pretty fully on the in
fluences of pursuits and occupations on the
duration Of human life; and from his inquiries
it appears that clergymen are, on the Whole,
the longest, and medical men the shortest
livers. The different classes may be arranged,
in respect 10 longevity, as follows:
Medium Longevity.