The native American. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1840, 1839-06-15
from the Ednburgh Philosophical Rev,ew
ON THE PROBABLE DURATION OF HI
MAN LIFE

DR.. Caspar, of Berlin, in his valuable work
genttled "Der wahrscheinliche Lebensdaur de
EMenschen. &C." 1895, after having examined
Ehe current opinions as TO the average duration Q
Human life, and as to the most satisfactory me
Ethod of ascertaining such result, announces hi
Gown doctrine in the following proposition: The
sproportion of births to The population III any
kplace expresses almost exactly the medium o.
sayetage duration of life there.
n For example, suppose that this proportion is il
b,he ratio Of to 80, then the average life of the
smhab,ants OF the place will be found 10 be IS
Eyears.
y If this rule be correct, it must follow that thu
hduration of life increases and diminishes in pop
Eulaton, according their fecundiiy is greater .
Eless; so that man, if not rs an individual At leas
sas member of the mass, may be said TO have /
Bin his power to lengthen or absidge his life.
d This, If true, is indeed a proposition of grea
;impcrance in political economy.
To prove that the mortality is in direct ratio
kwith the iecundly of any population, and conse
aquen1v, that governments, seeing that The force
aot states consist not so much on the mere mum
hhcr, rs on the strength, ccundilv, and longevity
Hof their inhabitants, ought not to favor or encour
Rage an over-ahundant population, the author ha
hcoIteced together a vast number OF facts, and to
Rths purpose has drawn up tables of the mortality
Snot only in Prussia, but also in Britain, France
gand Belgium.
4 From these researches he comes to the conclu
ason, that every where the mortality is directly
10 the fecundity of the population.
a This doctrine, if confirmed by future inquiries
smay, to certain extent, reconcile the opinions o
sMalthus and his opponents as 1t shows that Ma
sture herself tends to remedy the evil of redun
994ant population.
4 DR.. Caspar gives valuable table of the NOR
ataliy i'll Berlin, for ID years, from 1917 to 1929
(Which comprise nearly 10000 deaths in nearly
Il, 900 900 inhabitants.
The following are a few interesting data which
fare deIivahe from his researches:
The longevity of the female is greater thar
sthat of the male sex.
The age of puberty carries off 8 per cent more
Sof the female than Of the male SEX
/ The proportion OF deaths of women in labor is
Il IN 1903.
1t has been an erroneous, although hitherto a
Every prevalent notion, that the cimacterc age Of
II woman has marked influence in increasing the
smorlalitv of the female sex.
This opinion has been shown to be incorrect
by several statistical writers, and the researches
,ol Dr. Caspar confirm the accuracy of their state
sments. On the whole, therefore, we may assert
that the longevity of the female is greater than
stllat Of the male sex.
1t is also worthy of notice. that of still-bor1
;Intants, there are more of the male than Of the
.tcmale sex.
DR.. Caspar proceeds to show that the medium
for average duration has increased considerably in
lmost Of the European cities of late years. In
;Eondon this increase is great, for it would seem
;that within the last century probable life increas-
fed by twenty years. .... t
At Geneva, again in the 10th century, one-half
sof the infants born there died. we are told, before
;their fifth year; whereas, in the present day, i,
swould apr ear that this half reaches nearly 40
svears OF age A similar remark may be made as
10 the increased length of life at Berlin. .
Dr. Caspar treats pretty fully on the influence
sof pursuits and occupations the duration of hui
sman life, and from his inquiries it appears that
..'clergvmen are, on the whole, the longest, and
!meJical men the shortest livers." The diheren
scIasses may be arranged, in respect to longevity
Gas follows: