An examination of the Report of the Commissioners to enquire into the mortality of the Army / by Alfred Aspland.

  • Alfred Aspland
Date:
[1859]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An examination of the Report of the Commissioners to enquire into the mortality of the Army / by Alfred Aspland. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    c’est-a-dire, des relations constantes qui existent entre les phenomenes observes. Quil, s’agisse des moindres ou des plus sublimes effets, de choc et de pesanteur conune de pensee et de moralite, nous n’y pouvons vraiment connaitre que les diverses liaisons mutuelles propres a leur accomplissement, sans jamais penetrer le mystere de leur production. Non-seulement nos reserches positives doivent essentiellement de reduire, en tous genres, a 1’ appreciation systematique de ce qui est, en renoncant a en decouvrir la premiere origine et la destination finale ; mais il importe, en outre, de sentir que cette etude de phenomenes, an lieu de pouvoir devenir aucunement absolue doit tonjours rester relative a notre organisation et a notre situation.'’ If the statistical will make himself familiar with the spirit of Bacon’s method, if he will work by its rules, modifying them occasionally to suit his purpose, his course, though at first difficult, must at last become pleasant and profitable. Let him forget the abuse which modern writers have heaped on the inductive method, resting satisfied that it has prepared the way for two such works as Mill’s Logic, and Comte’s Positive Philosophy. It is to be deplored that Bacon’s comparatively small acquaintance with physical science prevented his rendering his rules perfect, by bringing them freely to the test of application. It was owing to deficient scientific qualifications that Mr. Neison worked out from statistics the idea that imperfect ventilation does not produce disease in the army ; and it was owing to a profound knowledge of science that Dr. Guy worked out from the same tables a law exactly opposite. The two works, however, which I have mentioned above, supply the deficiency in Bacon’s method, and will arm the student for every emergency. Let him not however be misled by a name, into studying Dr. Whewell’s Novum Organon Renovatum. It is not Bacon at all, but Immanuel Kant that we recognise, with all his assumptions and constant Petitio Principii. The reader must contrast the method indicated above with that adopted by the military statisticans, and honoured with the imprimatur of