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John Graunt in
his Natural and Political Observations…on the Bills of Mortality* detected
regularity in patterns of births and deaths. He noticed a higher sex ratio in favor of
males at birth and females at age of death. Graunt also constructed a primitive life table
(life tables generate life expectancy and survival data) and estimated the population size
of London, England. * John Graunt, “Natural and Political Observations
Mentioned in a Following Index, and Made upon the Bills of Mortality,” in William
Petty, The Economic Writings of Sir W. Petty, vol. 2, ed. C.H. Hull (New York:
Augustus M. Kelley, 1964): 314-431. |