Abstract
DEMOGRAPHY, or the study of births, marriages, and deaths, is the science at the base of politics and economics, and its prime necessity is an accurate census, repeated at regular intervals. The author traces its rise by a series of examples from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and it adds to our pleasure that he selects these from our own countrymen, for we know the economic conditions they were experiencing, and the constant question between the growth of population in city and country conditions. Raleigh, Hobbes, Bacon, and More were all great, and the incarceration in the Tower of the former gave us the “History of the World”. Therein is praise of the dissimilitude of Nature, and the very practical consideration of an Ark, 600 ft. by 100 ft. by 60 ft. deep, leads Raleigh to conclude that Noah probably selected his animals, so that they by breeding gave us all the present species.
Theories of Population from Raleigh to Arthur Young; Lectures delivered in the Galtonian Laboratory, University of London, under the Newmarch Foundation, February 11 to March 18, 1929, with two additional Lectures and with References to Authorities.
By Dr. J. Bonar. Pp. 253. (London: George Alien and Unwin, Ltd., 1931.) 10s. 6d. net.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
History of Demography. Nature 128, 940 (1931). https://doi.org/10.1038/128940a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/128940a0
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.