D. C. Gini.Sociology and Eugenics.
TABLE XVI.
Mortality in the first year of life (i).
Daily mean of deaths for each month making daily mean for the whole
year—1,000.
Paris 1905-909Berlin 1892-96
The children who died wereThe children who died were
Month of DeathNaturallyArtificiallyNaturallyFed onFed on
FedFedFedAnimalSubstitutes Milkfor Milk
123456
January ...............12079271170688480
February12558231046759569 March...III4888998777530
April...........................1130877853722432 MayIOII8608658 77505
June............................9538008841074980
July .............................8241148104418722082
August ...............7831838122120Ç32821
September884124593211761680 October ...............820941942718690
November ...............934840979574637
December10868101066671591 (i) Data worked out by the author, The original data for Paris were taken from Anmnaire
Statisque dela ville der Paris ; those for Berlin were taken from Westergaard, Die Lehre
van der Mortalitat und Morbidität, Jena, Fischer, 1901. Page 305.
mortality is greatest in summer for hot countries, and in winter for cold ones,
and the number of still-born is affected in the same way month by month.
We are able to say in conclusion that the variations shewn in the numbers
both of still-born and of children expiring in the first month of life according
to their month of birth, if they do not exclude the idea that the month of
conception may exercise some influence on the vitality of the child, allow us
to assert that such influence, if it exists, is totally obscured by the influence
of the season of delivery.
11. An interesting problem still remains to be solved : whether the month
of birth, besides having a direct influence on mortality during the first few
days of life, has also an indirect influence on the resisting powers of the
organism in after life.
Is mortality in after life independent of the season of birth ? And, if so, is
there in after life any difference in resisting powers according to the season of
conception ?
Or does mortality during the first months of life possess a selective character,
so that the stronger organisms, who have been able to survive a more
unfavourable environment, will shew a smaller mortality, which will slowlv
establish an equilibrium in the number of survivors ?
Or does the unfavourable or favourable influence of the season of birth,
besides causing immediately a greater or less mortality, make itself felt by
