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95
MORTALITY AMONG YOUNG CHILDREN.
20 per cent, in the third, the rates of decrease in the case of females being 13 and 14 per cent,
respectively. Naturally, Some decrease in the proportional rate of reduction is to be
expected as the quantity, or variable, which is decreasing approaches its irreducible minimum.
It is as an indication of an exhaustion of the possibility of reducing the infantile mortality
to a level much below that now prevailing that importance attaches to the change rate of
decrease.
During the second year of life (age L-2 years) the annual mortality (Table I) ranged
from 69 (in 1892) to 28 (in 1906), and that among females from 60 (in 1898) to 22 (in
1901); in the third year, the ranges were for males—26 (in 1893, 1894 and 1896) to 9 (in
1909), and for females—28 (in 1896) to 7 (in 1906); in the fourth year, for males—20 (in
1898) to 4 (in 1899 and 1910), and for females—24 (in 1894) to 3 in 1903; and in the fifth
year, for males—19 (in 1896) to 3 (in 1906), and for females—15 (in 1896) to 3 (in 1908). At
these ages only three complete quinquennial periods are available, the means for each year
of life during which are given below, the corresponding index numbers being shown in the
right half of the tabular statement.

As in the case of the mortality under one year of age there was a slowing down of the
rate of decrease between the second and last periods. The decrease in mortality was proportionately
greater in males than females in the last period for the fourth year, and in both
the second and last periods for the fifth year. In the fifth year of life the mortality among
females was at the same level in the second and third periods (decrease = 0).
Having thus shown what have been the changes in the recorded mortalities, some
indication will now be given of the saving of young lives which has resulted therefrom. That
can best be effected by means of life tables. (See Tables II. and Ha.) Those now submitted
have been obtained by a shortened method recently described in the Journal of the Royal
Statistical Society.*
The ftx and L columns only of the tables prepared are given in Tables If and Ha, the
other columns being omitted from considerations of space. The px column shows the
"probability of surviving" through any age (say, one day) to the next. The maximum value
px can possibly have is unity, which would imply that there were no deaths at that
particular age. The L column gives the numbers surviving, or living, at each age, from
among 100,000 children born alive (represented bv "Age 0."). Tables similar to II and IIa
have been constructed for ' persons,' but it has not been thought necessary to include them
* Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, vol. lxxiv,. p. 540 (April, 1011).