Disciplining Statistics: Demography and Vital Statistics in France and England, 1830 - 1885

• Published in: Labour (Halifax) 2008, Vol.61 (61), p.298-300
• Main Author: Tfaily, Rania
• Format: Review
• Language: English
• Subjects: 19th century; 20th century; Demographics; Demography; England; Fertility; France; Historical analysis; History of the social sciences; Methodology; Nonfiction; Older people; Population; Public health; Reviews/Comptes Rendus; Schweber, Libby; Social policy; Statistics; Success; United Kingdom; Vital statistics
• ISSN: 0700-3862; 1911-4842

The gatekeepers of "Political Economy" and the "Academy of Science" rejected efforts by Achille Guillard and Adolphe Bertillon to have their respective statistical approaches incorporated into mainstream academic thought in France. That rejection was a key factor in encouraging the two men in a bid to establish their demographic approach as a separate discipline in France around the mid-nineteenth century. Unlike France, the use of statistics in England was supported in medical science, and by 1839 vital statistics was institutionalized. The appointment of William Farr in the General's Registrar's Office was instrumental in. its early success. Farr also played a key role in framing vital statistics as a problem-oriented approach especially in the domain of public hygiene (e.g. Farr's work on the mortality rate of various districts). Despite some progress towards disciplinary recognition in the second half of the nineteenth century, success was shortlived, and demography and vital statistics were superseded by other disciplines (geometric methods in France and mathematical statistics in England), while the establishment of population statistics was overtaken by other established groups. The central argument of the book is that the differences in the "styles of statistical reasoning" between the two countries were largely due to differences in the political, administrative, and scientific environment in England and France. In making her argument, [Libby Schweber] uses a broad definition of the discipline "as any activity associated with the introduction of a new disciplinary category." (222) Through the use of published records and an institutional context framework, Schweber analyzes the events and developments that had an impact on the struggle of demography and vital statistics for disciplinary recognition. The nature of the political, administrative, and scientific institutions shaped the purpose of population statistics. The use of vital statistics was instrumental in informing England's social policy, especially in influencing public opinion and evaluating the effectiveness of certain laws and public interventions.