In dealing with the selection of lives we leave the actuarial idea of selection and come down to the practical consideration of the individual. The actuarial student is accustomed to dealing with select lives and we want to find out how these lives are classified. In this practical sense there are two types of selection, medical and non-medical, the latter referring not to a non-medical scheme of assurance but to the points arising from the papers and circumstances of the case apart from the medical report.

It is proposed to consider both these aspects and to show that the actuary can take his part in the selection just as much as the Principal Medical Officer. Some considerations need the actuary alone, others the P.M.O. alone, and the best results can only be obtained by whole-hearted co-operation between the two. No attempt is made to discuss extra risks, this being outside the scope of the paper, and we shall merely examine the various phases of the selection and outline points which the actuary must be ready to detect so that he can assist the P.M.O. as far as possible.