International Classification of Diseases (ICD).

An understanding of the mathematical principles that underlay the existence and spread of disease in populations had its origins within the Royal Society of London during the seventeenth century. Founded in 1662, the Royal Society included among its members John Graunt, a local tradesman. Graunt collected and organized bills of mortality from local parishes, which represented the first complete listing of causes of morbidity and mortality in local populations. Descriptions were simplistic compared with data collected now; nevertheless, the principle that information about disease could be statistically compiled would lead to further refinements and increasing accuracy. In 1836, the establishment of the Registrar-General’s Office in London provided a central clearinghouse for compilation of such statistics. In particular, under the leadership of William Farr, compiler of statistical abstracts and finally superintendent, the office represented the first complete centralized bureau for analysis of disease in a population.