Science and polity in France at the end of the Old Regime

process will induce subsequent sterility, which causes high-parity women of any given age to be more likely to have become sterile than lower-parity women of the same age). It is perhaps surprising also that the discussion of methods of detecting the presence of deliberate control of fertility in marriage from the statistical patterns of child-bearing contains no reference to the methods devised in recent years by Coale, an elegant and economical technique which has been shown to be of value in studying small populations, even though better suited to the analysis of big populations. Finally, the unwary reader may wish to note that the great emphasis placed by Flinn upon mortality crises in curbing population growth in pre-industrial times, and upon the decline in mortality crises in promoting the growth of population in the eighteenth century, does not command universal assent. The debate on this and closely related topics has been pursued since Malthus's day, often with marked vigour, and while there are many who would accept Flinn's view and much evidence to support it, equally cogent arguments and evidence can be produced for other views. It would, however, be unfortunate and inaccurate to convey the impression that this book is marred by major faults. It is a most valuable addition to the growing number of authoritative studies of European historical demography which have transformed our understanding of the balance between production and reproduction in the past. Great care appears to have been taken over the printing and proofing of the tables, a most welcome virtue, and students of population history have good cause to be grateful to Professor Flinn for his industry, accuracy, breadth of knowledge, and willingness to seek the unifying concept which may serve to "save the phenomena", even when the phenomena are drawn from half a continent over almost half a millennium. C. C. Gillispie presents his latest book in these terms: "It is a civil history of work-a-day French science late in the Enlightenment and is meant to be complete" (p. ix). Such a programme would make lesser historians wilt merely in anticipation, but Gillispie evidently relishes his task, which he approaches with admirable thoroughness. Sections are devoted to medicine, botany, map-making, various branches of manufacturing, engineering, agronomy, and much else besides. Remarkably, the author seems at home on all he examines, discussing with great sureness of touch subjects as diverse as, for example, methods …