Medical statistics : being a series of tables showing the mortality in Philadelphia and its causes / by Gouverneur Emerson.

  • Emerson, G. (Gouverneur), 1796-1874.
Date:
[1827?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Medical statistics : being a series of tables showing the mortality in Philadelphia and its causes / by Gouverneur Emerson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    E5~ . MEDICAL STATISTICS, fife. [Extracted from the American Journal of the Medical Sciences for November, 1827.] IN the investigation of human aft'airs, and the various circumstance?, which relate to and govern them, statistical calculations, by giving distinctness to views, and accuracy to conclusions, have been found eminently useful. Applied to subjects connected with medicine, at present the most uncertain of the sciences, they may prove of es- sential service, especially to the branch of public hygiene, as by de- monstrating the existence of evils they may lead to a removal of their causes, and serve as a test by which to determine the success or in- efficacv of the measures resorted to for that purpose. They may likewise become useful as a means of estimating the comparative value of those systems of medicine, which from time to time succeed each other. Indeed, such an application of medical statistics has already been made in Europe; but the warmth and obstinacy which at this time, distinguish the doctrinal controversies of rival sects, may justly be considered as productive for the most part, of partial views and suspicious conclusions. Estimates upon these subjects, should therefore he received with much caution, unless when made by such as are known to owe neither allegiance to, nor bias for, a particular party, or who possess so rare a degree of candour as to enable them to state facts without partiality or concealment. The following calculations were projected for the support of no preconceived speculations or opinions, but undertaken solely for the purpose of ascertaining those results which naturally flow from them. Many of these will be found extremely interesting, especially such as relate to the comparative mortality of different diseases, the ages at which they most frequently prove fatal, and the mean duration of human life at this epoch in Philadelphia. Many places possess certain peculiarities, capable of exerting more or less influence upon calculations of this nature, and which can only be well understood by persons very familiar with them. For this reason it has been thought most adviseable to avoid making formal comparisons with the statements of other cities, and to confine the sphere of observation in the present article, altogether to the locality of Philadelphia, a compendious history of the mortality, with observations upon many of the diseases of which, will be found in the following ta- bles, since the year when the subject was first made one of regular record. The date of this interesting event extends no further back