There appears to be very little information, especially of recent date, relating to infantile mortality, in the publications of the Institute, and it is possible that a discussion upon the mortality of very young lives would be of service to those who have to deal with infantile assurances to any great extent.

It is well known that infantile mortality rates have, generally, shown continuous improvement during the present century, and we cannot say that such rates have yet reached their lowest limit. For example, the deaths of males and females respectively during the first year of life as exhibited by successive English Life Tables are:—