Natural and Political Observations Mentioned in a Following index and made upon the bills of mortality. With reference to the Government, Religion, Trade, Growth, Air, Diseases, and the several Changes of the said City.

New York:: Arno Press, 1975., 1975. Reprint from 1662 imprint. [Series & cover title: European Sociology, Arno Press series editor: Lewis A. Coser]. Small 8vo. [iv], 90, [4] pp. Large folding Table of casualties. Dark green cloth, white-stamped titles. Ownership signature of Arthur L. Frank. Very good. Reprint. The scientific study of the numbers, characteristics and territorial distribution of populations - today called demography - began with Graunt (Printing and the Mind of Man). Graunt drew up his statistical tables from the birth and death records of parish clerks. From this he constructed the first tables of life expectancy, and, through applying (truncated) mathematical calculations to his data, was able to form important conclusions as to the social and economic conditions of the people. He formulated principles that are now fundamental, including that the urban death rate exceeds the rural death rate, and that mortality is highest in the early and late years of life. His work noting the seasonal and annual variation of death rates, and their causes, proved a major influence on future studies of epidemiology, including those of William Farr and John Snow. / Graunt was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society upon publication of the book, which proved a great success, with five editions by 1676. The present third edition had an added appendix with further observations, and a second folding table with new information from additional parishes. William Petty had some role in producing the work and edited later editions; from the late 17th century onwards it has been commonly claimed that he was the real author, with the debate as to the extent of his input still ongoing. The present copy has a manuscript note on the front free endpaper, dated 1795, which states the writer to be Petty, copied from Bishop Burnet's 1723 work History of His Own Time. The work can best be attributed as a collaboration between Graunt and Petty; it is generally accepted that the arguments for Petty's sole authorship are incorrect. / Graunt, along with Sir William Petty, developed early human statistical and census methods that provided a framework for modern demography. He is credited with producing and widely distributing the first life table, giving probabilities of survival to each age.[4] This was remarkable considering the Bills of Mortality did not include age at death, thus Graunt used his knowledge of mathematics to create such a table. Graunt is also considered as one of the first experts in epidemiology, since his famous book was concerned mostly with public health statistics. / The erudition of Graunt's book, Natural and Political Observations Made Upon the Bills of Mortality, led Graunt to the Royal Society. On 5 February 1661, Graunt presented fifty copies of his book to the Royal Society of London, to which he was subsequently elected a fellow in 1662 with the endorsement of King Charles II.[5] King Charles II's recommendation was notable due to Graunt's status as a tradesman, as the King suggested to the Royal Society that it should accept "any more such Tradesman." Graunt was chosen as a member of the council of the Royal Society in November 1664 and represented the Society at various meetings. REFERENCES: ESTC R11688; Printing and the Mind of Man, 144 (first edition); Goldsmiths' 1757; Kress 1155; Geoffrey Keynes, Bibliography of William Petty, pp. 75ff. (Inventory #: M14857)