John Graunt

Infobox Scientist
name = John Graunt
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birth_date = April 24,1620
birth_place = London
death_date = April 18, 1674
death_place = London
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nationality = England
ethnicity =
field = demography
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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. Born in London, Graunt, along with William Petty, developed early human statistical and census methods that later provided a framework for modern demography. He is credited with producing the first life table, giving probabilities of survival to each age. Graunt is also considered as one of the first experts in Epidemiology, 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 as Charles II and other officials attempted to create a system to warn of the onset and spread of bubonic plague 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.

The erudition of the "Observations" led Graunt to the Royal Society, where he presented his work and was subsequently elected a fellow.

Graunt died, reportedly of jaundice and liver disease, in April 1674 in London.

References

For Graunt's place in the history of statistics see
* Heyde, C. C. (2001) John Graunt, "Statisticians of the Centuries" (ed. C. C. Heyde and E. Seneta) pp. 14-16. New York: Springer.
* Hald, A. (1990) A History of Probability and Statistics and their applications before 1750, New York: Wiley. Chapter 7, John Graunt and the Observations upon the Bills of Mortality, 1662.
* Hacking, I. (1975) The Emergence of Probability, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press: Chapter 12, Political Arithmetic 1662.For his place in the history of epidemiology see
* Morabia, Alfredo. ed. (2004) A History of Epidemiologic Methods and Concepts. Basel, Birkhauser Verlag. Part I.

Other references:
*Citation
id = PMID:11613877
url= http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11613877
last=Kreager
first=P
publication-date=1988 Mar
year=1988
title=New light on Graunt.
volume=42
issue=1
periodical=Population studies
pages=129-40
doi = 10.1080/0032472031000143156
*Citation
id = PMID:11512687
url= http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11512687
last=Campbell
first=R B
publication-date=2001 Aug
year=2001
title=John Graunt, John Arbuthnott, and the human sex ratio.
volume=73
issue=4
periodical=Hum. Biol.
pages=605-10
*Citation
id = PMID:1090928
url= http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1090928
last=Wynder
first=E L
publication-date=1975 Mar
year=1975
title=A corner of history: John Graunt, 1620-1674, the father of demography.
volume=4
issue=1
periodical=Preventive medicine
pages=85-8
*Citation
id = PMID:14087990
url= http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14087990
last=GLASS
first=D V
publication-date=1963 Dec 10
year=1963
title=JOHN GRAUNT AND HIS NATURAL AND POLITICAL OBSERVATIONS.
volume=159
issue=
periodical=Proc. R. Soc. Lond., B, Biol. Sci.
pages=1-37
*Citation
id = PMID:14075439
url= http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14075439
last=KARGON
first=R
publication-date=1963 Oct
year=1963
title=JOHN GRAUNT, FRANCIS BACON, AND THE ROYAL SOCIETY: THE RECEPTION OF STATISTICS.
volume=18
issue=
periodical=Journal of the history of medicine and allied sciences
pages=337-48
*Citation
id = PMID:13928392
url= http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/13928392
last=LANCASTER
first=H O
publication-date=1962 Nov 10
year=1962
title=An early statistician--John GRAUNT (1620-1674).
volume=49(2)
issue=
periodical=Med. J. Aust.
pages=734-8

External links

* [http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~stephan/Graunt/graunt.html John Graunt (1620-1674)] Text of the "Observations" and other Graunt materials are available on Ed Stephan's website
* [http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~stephan/timeline.demography.html Ed Stephan's Timeline of Demography] Highlights in the history of demography from 3800 BC to 2000 AD