standing as I do as a link between them, by the unquestionable facts of statistical medicine.

Statistical medicine or political arithmetic, as it is sometimes called, is that searching department of our science which separates the ore from the dross. It melts down and consumes the scaffolding which elevates empiricism, ephemeral success and accidental popularity, into high places. It undeceives the public by substituting for the caprices of the credulous, the partial and the prejudiced, the unerring results of time and truth. Statistical medicine furnishes the key which opens to public view in a manner the most convincing, simple and summary the actual results of the regular and empirical practice. The doctrine of annuities, successions, reversions and life assurances, are all founded upon the truths afforded by statistical medicine. The facts, which it discloses in regard to the practice of medicine in this city, are well calculated to make every member of this society proud of the profession to which he belongs and of the noble science to which it pertains. They show that the syren voice of the empiric is not to be trusted. They prove that there is no short road to knowledge in medicine-no safety for the afflicted, but in the counsels of those who have patiently climbed the rugged hill of science-no reform to be found by descending lower, but by climbing higher.

The excitement, which of late years, has been kindled throughout the United States against the medical profession under the popular catch word "reform," not only struck at physicians, but at some of the most valuable medicines of the materia medica. The medicines, most commonly used by physicians, particularly all the mineral preparations, were denounced as poisons, and pnysicians were represented as a set of men who followed the avocation of poisoning their fellow

citizens for mere gain, or from a species of infatuation, and so far from being useful to the public were more mischievous than an equal number of assassins or highway robbers. The excitement was fanned into a flame, with so much zeal, by the manufacturers of nostrums and patent medicines, that many ignorant, but in some instances good meaning persons, were stricken with a species of fanaticism, believing themselves called on to go out into the world to bring about a reform in medicine. Cobblers left their lasts, blacksmiths their anvils, the barber threw aside his shaving-brush, and even grey headed tailors jumped down from the board to become reformers in physic. For some time our strict laws against empiricism kept the reformers out of Natchez. At length, from causes not necessary here to mention, our laws against empiricism were virtually annulled. Very soon afterwards no less than half a dozen reformers, full of zeal, made their way into this city and chose it as the place of their permanent residence to carry out a reformation in medicine. They had never studied the science they came to reform, nor had they ever acquired the elementary education necessary to enable them to begin the study. But their lack of knowledge only made them the louder in denouncing physicians and their remedies. They were particularly hostile to calomel and the lancet. The one, they accused of being in all cases a poison, and the other of being at all times unnecessary and pernicious. They excited the hopes of the afflicted and prevailed on the credulity of the weak, by puffing the many miraculous cures, which, the "reformed system" was said to have effected. But in regard to the more numerous tribes of curable diseases, which the reformed system failed to cure, they put the finger of silence upon their lips. All those cases which baffled the best directed efforts of the regular practitioners,

the empirics adduced as witnesses to prove the imperfections and uncertainties of the healing art, thereby endeavoring to shake the confidence of the public in the physicians and their remedies. Many persons who did not become converts to the reformed system, were nevertheless so far influenced by the sophisms, dogmas, and misrepresentations of the empirics, as to lose a large share of their confidence in the regular physicians and failed to make application in due time, for fear of being bled, or having to take calomel or some other drug which the reformers had so repeatedly denounced as poison

ous.

I am now about to turn statistical medicine upon the reformers. It is the spear of Ithuriel. The physicians of Natchez in ten years, from the 31st of December, 1823, to the 1st of January, 1834, have lost in all the population, including strangers, 641 patients. In the mean time 337 deaths are recorded not certified by any physician. The whole number of deaths in ten years being 998. This is less than 98 deaths per annum. Estimating the population at an average of 3,000, which falls short, rather than exceeds the true amount, the average mortality in the ten years would be only one in every 30.6-10 per annum. From the facts heretofore contributed to statistical medicine it is known that the average annual mortality of some of the principal cities of the world is much greater than this. According to Dr. Hawkins of the Royal College of physicians, the annual mortality of Naples is 1 in 28; Vienna 1 in 26; Madrid 1 in 29; Rome 1 in 25; Amsterdam 1 in 24. The mortality in all these cities being greater than that of Natchez. According to the same authority the mortality of Paris, Lyons, Strasburg, Barcelona and Nice is from 1 in 31 to 1 in 32, very little less than that of Natchez. In Philadelphia in the year 1832, there were 6699 deaths re

ported out of a population of 188,397, making the average mortality of that city about 1 in 29.3-10 greater than the average mortality of Natchez. During a period of ten years from 1820 to 1831, the mortality of Philadelphia has varied from 1 in 30.5 to 1 in 42.9. During the same period, the average mortality among fifteen or sixteen thousand negroes in Philadelphia has been 1 in 21.7. According to Dr. Emerson, who has collected much statistical information, Philadelphia is one of the healthiest cities in the United States, and far more healthy than London. Owing to the cupidity of the English government which taxes both the cradle and the grave, the average mortality of Great Britain and the principal cities in it cannot be very correctly ascertained. A large number of births and deaths are not reported, in order to avoid the tax which is levied on all records. The dissenters keep few or no records of births, deaths and marriages. Their records are not received as evidence, consequently the business of regis tering is monopolized by the parish clerks of the established church. But even with this deficiency, without making any allowance for the unregistered deaths, the average annual mortality of Natchez, during a period of ten years, has been less than the average mortality of London during a period of ten years. The mortality of London from 1790 to 1801 was 1 in 29.3-10. It is somewhat less at present. The average mortality of England and Wales during a period of thirty years, from 1790 to 1821, has varied from 1 in 37 to 1 in 57. In Paris, according to Villerme, the average mortality from the domicil, not including the deaths which occur in the hospitals, (being about one third of the whole,) is one in 58 in those parts of the city inhabited by the wealthy class of citizens, but in the 12th arrondisement which is inhabited by the poorer classes, it is 1 in 24.8-10. Marobale estimates the

mortality of France during a period of twelve years from 1817 to 1829, varying from 1 in 27.3-5 to 1 in 53.5. But Napoleon contributed some very valuable and correct information to statistical Medicine. He caused the inhabitants of several departments of France to be accurately enumerated. Officers were appointed with ample powers to make a full and fair registry of all the births and deaths, and to guard against errors from ingress and egress. His object was to learn the natural increase and decrease of the population in order to make it serve as a comparison for the rest of his empire. The departments enumerated contained 2,037,615 individuals-203,102 of whom died in three years-making the annual average mortality in that part of France 1 in 30, being a small fraction greater than the annual average mortality of Natchez for ten years. Thus we find ten or a dozen physicians located in a hot and insalubrious climate, a large portion of the population not being natives or inured to the climate, contending with two yellow fevers, an epidemic cholera, measles, whooping-cough, scarlet fever and small pox; yet under all these disadvantages, the average mortality, during a period of ten years in succession, has been less than the average mortality of a large part of France in one of the most salubrious climates in the world-less than the mortality in that very portion of France, in which Napoleon had the average correctly ascertained in order to make it a standard of comparison for the rest of his. empire-less than the mortality in Naples, Madrid, Vienna, Rome and Amsterdam-less than in London during a period of ten years-less than in Philadelphia during the year 1832, and not much greater than the average mortality in any other town, city or country-no greater, not even as great, if due allowance were made for the deaths which occur among the non-resident population.