New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-09-20

not outstanding it Is Stll greater tnAh IL y '6u'
I be. there has been wonderful improvement 10 'ae
proepeots Of an infants life; five times as many
( live now az did then. AZ surprising as this may
appesr. from the records kept at Geneva III 'u7
/ 1G.h Century, the fact is shown to be true 10
sbova that death, at early period oil no. IS l''
the natural tendency of the body; the frame OF
child bes every thing about IL 20 prove that IL ls III
tended to grow ito develop aelf nd to become oy
degrees fitted fox the high station Of animal and In
talectual life for which it s destined and shat AT
.bis period Of life dissolution ia in reality an unnas
ursl PROCESS OF the structure
Now lie. as look at the statistics OF the CITY Ii
this particular and see how the suggestion Oh
comparative mortality can be made to apply after
a sanitary investigation OF other parts ahal nave
been made
We ind that during E. period OF l6 years the
annual average mortality Of children
Under yearp the hole mortality az 4, u, SI 70
In to 27
W 1
Here we find remark able uniformity, showing
the constant operation Of the causes, Whatever
they be, doubtless cellars and ilyentillated courts
Let us suppose in another part OF the state con
tanning people enough and extending through
period sufficiently extensive to secure the appics
ton of the principle of averages, there should be
found to exist marked difference in the number
of deaths at that period Of lille, il is plain that tne
cause of this disparity might by careful lnyean
CATION be found, and suggestions made in accord
ance with ths discovery.
Beside, the great and increasing business Of
Life Insurance in our country imperasively de-
mands that GONE etFors be made to ascertain with
accuracy the value Of life in its different sections
Atpresent all the information we possess is COM
paretive for it can only be shown that one position
is more healthy than another but the actual lon
gevity-she prospect of the duration of life at any
given age is one Of the facta yet to be ascertaned,
and which can never be known in any other mode
than by an accurate recordof Births and Deaths
This average duration of human life at every age
can only be ascerteined by close Investigations
made in this manner among large rnasses OF people
during long period of time thereby furnishing the
materials for correct tables Of mortality.
Although tables have been made in Europefrom
facts supplied by limited and secluded population
on which tolerable estimate is obtained OF the
prospects Of life, ye. itis only where there is re.
giaration OF all the facts connected with the dura
ton of ife that an accurate table of mortality
be constructed for the country in which ouch regis
traton is made This is the case we believe only
In Sweden and Finland where the retarns annu.
ally of the Births and Deaths have been made, ex-
cept in Swedish Pomerania, the Isle of Rugen, and
the town of Wismar from the year 1749. These
returns constitute complete and perfsct data for
constructing tables of mortality for the Kingdom OF
Sweden.
At present the calculations adopted in this ooun.
try are from tables of mortality constructed from
facts collected in England about eighty years ago
during period OF nine years. and although deserv-
ing OF the highest considerations they cannot be
regarded as exhibiting the precise spects OF life
in our country
When it ia considered that an immense number
Of people are daily becoming Interested ia she
subject, it, Importance can scarcely be exagger-
ated and it demands prompt and efficient fore.
thought from the Legislatures of our respective
States, that they may establish secure and per.
nanet four dation for 20 vast business az Life Ia.
surance, extending as i! does into long, very long
uture for upon tables Of mortaty accurately form.
ed from facts th1s carefully obtained, will countless
thousands hereafter depend for their maintenance.
Other illustrations OF the operation Of well.ez-
ecuted Registration Laws could be given, bat thls
will suffice with reference only to the fact that
thousands-aye, tens of thousands-die annually
of diseases that might have been prevented by
suitable knowledge Of their causes, to be ascer
tanned only By proper registration and sanatory
suryeys. Such is proved to be the case in Eng
land, where registration has been in full operation
Y ~ ,r4,, Ero
/ lives are annually Lost by dleases which might
have been prevented, besides the loss Of time and
money and the production OF an unknown amount
of perronal misery among the hundred OF thousands
where the disease may not have been iataL The
postive effects of clearing out 90, 900 people from
cellars we mentioned in our last number as one oil
the results of registration.
Among the many projected improvements on tie
various conditions and circumstances Of life, pro.
posed on the one hand BIZ the soheming fanatic,
and advocated with zeal only paralleled by .heir
unprscticability, or commended to us on the other
by e sound and intelligent forethoughs there id
none of greater interest TO all than the mode
whereby public health may be secured.
Health has always been regarded rs the great
est Of earthly blessings. To secure its continuance
or to seek its restoration when lost what sacrifices
have been made, what necessary occupations
| abandoned, or what ties of domestic attachment
; severed How anxiounly does the sufferer seek
the aid Of such as proler the means Of restoration;
and how anziously does ne listen to any suggestion
that promises reef-otten absurd enough ii mnat
be allowed What numbers thus yield their Gus
tomary president judgment to TIE designing in
poster who enlches himself from the credulous
confidence ard mental weakness created by dia,
ease! Every thing is surrendered to the desire
IL u.;thc.lt II Ahar f. u taat nothing 90 ;,