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John Graunt
 
 
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John Graunt (April 24,1620-April 18, 1674) was one of the first demographers, though by profession he was a haberdasher
Haberdasher

A haberdasher is a person who sells small articles for sewing, such as buttons, ribbons and zippers. In U.S. English, haberdasher is another term for a men's outfitter....
. Born in London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
, Graunt, along with William Petty
William Petty

Sir William Petty was an England economist, scientist and philosopher. He first became prominent serving Oliver Cromwell and Commonwealth of England in Ireland....
, developed early human statistical and census methods that later provided a framework for modern demography. He is credited with producing the first life table
Life table

In actuarial science, a life table is a table which shows, for a person at each age, what the probability is that they die before their next birthday....
, giving probabilities of survival to each age. Graunt is also considered as one of the first experts in Epidemiology
Epidemiology

Epidemiology is the study of factors affecting the health and illness of populations, and serves as the foundation and logic of interventions made in the interest of public health and preventive medicine....
, since his famous book was concerned mostly with public health statistics.

His book Natural and Political Observations Made upon the Bills of Mortality (1662) used analysis of the mortality rolls in early modern London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
 as Charles II
Charles II of England

Charles II was the Monarchy of Kingdom of England, Kingdom of Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland.His father Charles I of England Regicide#The regicide of Charles I of England at Palace of Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War....
 and other officials attempted to create a system to warn of the onset and spread of bubonic plague
Bubonic plague

Plague is a deadly infectious disease caused by the Enterobacteriaceae Yersinia pestis . Plague is a zoonotic, primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas....
 in the city.






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John Graunt (April 24,1620-April 18, 1674) was one of the first demographers, though by profession he was a haberdasher
Haberdasher

A haberdasher is a person who sells small articles for sewing, such as buttons, ribbons and zippers. In U.S. English, haberdasher is another term for a men's outfitter....
. Born in London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
, Graunt, along with William Petty
William Petty

Sir William Petty was an England economist, scientist and philosopher. He first became prominent serving Oliver Cromwell and Commonwealth of England in Ireland....
, developed early human statistical and census methods that later provided a framework for modern demography. He is credited with producing the first life table
Life table

In actuarial science, a life table is a table which shows, for a person at each age, what the probability is that they die before their next birthday....
, giving probabilities of survival to each age. Graunt is also considered as one of the first experts in Epidemiology
Epidemiology

Epidemiology is the study of factors affecting the health and illness of populations, and serves as the foundation and logic of interventions made in the interest of public health and preventive medicine....
, since his famous book was concerned mostly with public health statistics.

His book Natural and Political Observations Made upon the Bills of Mortality (1662) used analysis of the mortality rolls in early modern London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
 as Charles II
Charles II of England

Charles II was the Monarchy of Kingdom of England, Kingdom of Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland.His father Charles I of England Regicide#The regicide of Charles I of England at Palace of Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War....
 and other officials attempted to create a system to warn of the onset and spread of bubonic plague
Bubonic plague

Plague is a deadly infectious disease caused by the Enterobacteriaceae Yersinia pestis . Plague is a zoonotic, primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas....
 in the city. Though the system was never truly created, Graunt's work in studying the rolls resulted in the first statistically-based estimation of the population of London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
.

The erudition of the Observations led Graunt to the Royal Society
Royal Society

The Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, or even the Royal, is a learned society for science that was founded in 1660 and is considered by most to be the oldest such society still in existence....
, where he presented his work and was subsequently elected a fellow.

Graunt died, reportedly of jaundice
Jaundice

Jaundice, also known as icterus , is a yellowish discoloration of the skin, the conjunctival membranes over the sclera , and other mucous membranes caused by hyperbilirubinemia ....
 and liver disease, in April 1674 in London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
.

External links

  • Text of the "Observations" and other Graunt materials are available on Ed Stephan's website
  • Highlights in the history of demography from 3800 BC to 2000 AD