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T HE use of the dramatic term explosion in discussions of the presentday population problem may serve to attract attention and underline the gravity of the situation, but it is obviously a, misnomer. The growth of population is never actually explosive, and as for the current spectacular increase, it is really only the latest phase of a development that goes back to the mideighteenth century. Prior to that time the history of European population had been one of slow and fitful growth. It now took a sudden spurt and thenceforth continued to increase at a high rate. From an estimated I40,000,000 in I750 it rose to i88,000,000 in i8oo, to 266,o0,0ooo in i85o, and eventually to 400,000,000 in I9oo. The rate of increase was not uniform for all parts of the Continent, but
William L. Langer (Tue,) studied this question.