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It may be objected to my table that it comprises
amongst conditions which are quite possible other conditions
which are impossible and absurd: that, for example, a
birth-rate of 100 per cent. could only he maintained in a
population of which every female bore annual twins
from the time of her birth to that of her death, while
even a birth-rate of 10 per cent. is scarcely compatible with
any possible conditions of a population; and that, on the
other hand, not only is it absolutely certain that the age
of 200 will never be reached by human beings, but that the
attainment of a mean duration of life of even 70 years is
entirely beyond the anticipations of sober-minded sanitarians.
The answer to these objections is, of course, that the table
has been constructed primarily with the object of showing
clearly the mutual relations of the birth and death-rates, and
that these are most strikingly exhibited by adducing extreme
cases. Yet what holds good of extreme cases holds good in
principle of all other cases ; and to render the table practically
useful it is only necessary to disregard the former, and
to limit our attention to the latter.
The highest birth-rate which I see recorded in the
Registrar-General's annual summary, for 1875, is that of
Gateshead, which was 4.76 per cent. The lowest is 2.42
and occurred at Cheltenham. Now there is no physical
impossibility in the reduction of the birth-rate considerably
below that recorded of Cheltenham; it is conceivable
indeed, that under special conditions it might fall
to zero. But, on the other hand, though the birth-rate
might easily rise above that of Gateshead, the number of
children capable of being born per annum must be limited
by the reproductive capacity of those members of the