Preface. Introduction; G. Wunsch. 1. The life table: A demographic overview; G. Wunsch. 2. The construction of life tables; G. Calot, A. Franco. 3. Methods of decomposition of differences between life expectancies at birth by causes of death; E. Valkovics. 4. Of entropies and inequalities: Summary measures of the age distribution of mortality; J. Anson. 5. Age, period and cohort components in analysing past and projecting future mortality trends; G. Caselli. 6. Parameterisation as a tool in analysing age, period and cohort effects on mortality: A case study of the Netherlands; E. Tabeau, et al. 7. The registration of causes of death: Problems of comparability; F. Meslé. 8. Gains in life expectancy by eliminating major causes of death: Revised estimates taking into account competing causes of death; A.E. Kunst, et al. 9. The measurement of mortality by cause and morbidity; J. Duchêne. 10. Competing risks models: Problems of modelling and of identification; M. Mouchart, J.-M. Rolin. 11. Use of demographic tools in the assessment of the health level of populations; E. Cambois, J.-M. Robine. 12. The life table: A sociological overview; J. Anson. List of authors.