In a former paper, I had occasion to make some reference to the question of Local Medical Examiners, in tracing the changes in the practice of life insurance during the present century; but I then purposely avoided entering upon a detailed consideration of the points involved, believing these to be worthy of special attention whenever a suitable occasion should arise.

The important part which local medical examiners are called upon to take in the every-day practice of life, and some other important branches of, insurance business, is too well understood in this Institute to require any specific mention. It is enough for my momentary purposes, to say that a most sacred trust is reposed in them; and it will fall within the limit of these purposes to consider in some detail, on this occasion, the manner in which this trust is on the whole performed.

The first difficulty which arises in the treatment of a question of this character, is the fear of doing injustice, by implication or otherwise, to a body of gentlemen, a considerable proportion of whom, I trust, do conscientiously perform their important functions. But on this point it has to be understood, that on those who do discharge their duties honorably and efficiently there can be no adverse criticism. Our remarks, then, in the nature of the case, can only apply to those who are regarded as not acting up to this high but essential standard; and as to these latter, I venture to think that—in very many cases certainly—the true position of matters has but to be placed in a clear light, in order to lead to very speedy and decided improvement.

This paper had its origin a year or two ago in an investigation entered upon with an object which has since fallen into abeyance. At that time, it being desired to obtain a thoroughly well-graduated table of mortality giving a favourable view of human life, attention was directed to the Carlisle Table, and sundry attempts were made to remove its irregularities.

Many of the experiments then tried would not now be of any public interest, but the effort to use Mr. Makeham's formula brought out a few facts which it is perhaps worth while to record; and, at any rate, whatever may be thought of the present notes, the authors do not consider themselves to be guilty of any impropriety in bringing forward for discussion once more the practical employment of Mr. Makeham's expression for the law of human mortality.

They are the more emboldened to suggest this subject for debate, in that Mr. Walford, at a late meeting, announced that the formula was found in America to give perfectly satisfactory results when applied to a table formed from the experience of assured lives on that continent.

The first step in the original investigation was to graduate the Carlisle Table (as published by Mr. Milne) by means of Mr. Woolhouse's formula; and as the resulting curve was not entirely free from roughness, the process was repeated. The changes introduced by the second graduation were insignificant, but the table produced was one of very great smoothness, although there was a wave-like form observable in the succession of the values of some of the functions.