No information from the parish registers in Spain was given in any of these cases ; although satisfacto ry extracts from them all, distinguishing the ages and sexes of the deceased, or even from those only which could be most depended upon, during the ten years that intervened betweeh the two last enumera• tions, would have rendered the results of these in• comparably more valuable, provided that the popu lation of the places for which correct registers were given, could be distinguished from the rest. Those to whom the superintendence of these measures were entrusted in Spain, seem to have been well aware of this, and to have actually entered upon the formation of ;hese necessary supplements to the enumerations, as appears by the following passage extracted from the introduction to the printed statemelit of the last census : " Interin qua se foreman las tables necrol6gicas, las de nacidos y casados, ea que maietsde el atimsterio de _Estado, y que son muy Wks para valuar casi geome tricanienie el total de la del Reyno, debe mos contentarnos con las noticias que nos proporcionen los ceases executados for el mitodo que el presente." But the author of this article has not yet succeeded in his endeavours to procure further information as to these tables of births, deaths, and marriages.
In the same year (1801) was published (in 12mo) another valuable work, entitled, Reports on the Dis eases in London, particularly during the years 1796, 1797, 1798, 1799, and 1800, by Robert Willan, M.D. F.A.S. part of which had been previously in. serted in some periodical publications; the author's observations were made both on the Bills of Morta lity, and on the cases that occurred in his own prac tice.
In reading the writings of the physicians who have, treated these subjects, it is impossible not to regret, 'that they have been so little attended to by the me dical profession in general, and that Bills of Mortali ty have not been more generally kept in such a way, as to throw the lights which they alone can, on the causes of the increase and decrease of different dis eases, and of the great differences that are found be tween the degrees of mortality in different situations, and among different classes of the people. The •n
formation of this kind already before the public clearly shows, that the general causes which tend to shorten life do also embitter it ; and that .where the people are the most happy, useful, and respectable in their several stations, there also, cceteris paribus, they are the longest lived. And these inquiries, we think, are of more importance to governments, and better worth their attention, than statesmen are ge nerally aware of.
In the sixth volume of the American Philosophical Transactions, published in 1809, two tables were given, shdwing the number that died of each disease in each interval of age, during the years 1807 and 1808 separately, in the city and liberties of Phila delphia, which were communicated by the Board of Health ; the numbers both of adults and of children who died in each month of each of these two years, are also given ; and it is modestly added, that any suggestions for further improvements will be thank fully received. We therefore beg to suggest, that the distinction of the sexes, which has not been made, would be a material improvement ; and it might also be useful to state, what year the Board consider to be the limit between childhood and adultage. If, in addition to this, the number of the people in each interval of age within the city and liberties, be determined at regular intervals, as every 5th or 10th year, and the registers of deaths, with the diseases and ages, be regularly continued for se veral such periods, the annual births of each sex be ing also given, they cannot fail to become very va luable.
In pursuance of an act of Parliament (41st Geo. III. cap. 15.), an enumeration of the people in Great Britain was made in 1801: also returns of the bap tisms and burials in England and Wales, during the year 1700, and every tenth year after that till 1780, then for every year to 1800 inclusive, with the num ber of marriages in each year from the commence ment of 1754 to the end of 1800. Large and clear abstracts of the answers and returns to this act were printed by order of the House of Commons in 1802, and occupy more than 1000 pages folio. In 1811; another act (51st Geo. III. cap. 6.) was passed, " for taking an account of the population of Great Britain, and the increase or diminution thereof ;" in conse quence of which, returns were that year made to Parliament, of the number of persons in every part of Great Britain ; also of the numbers of baptism., burials, and marriages in England and Wales, during each of the preceding ten years; very satisfactory abstracts of these were also printed by order of Par liament, in 1812, with some preliminary observations, in which corrections of the preceding returns are given.