ABSTRACT
The eighteenth century saw two developments which were to have special significance for Pierre Guillaume Frederic Le Play. One was the beginning of higher technical education, and the other was the emergence of the social survey, the study of social systems. Le Play himself founded the Statistical Commission for the Metal Industries, and his English friend, J. R. Porter, founded the Statistical Section of the Board of Trade. Both these foundations were in the early 1830s. Le Play was appointed to a post as assistant in the metallurgical laboratory of the Ecole des Mines. In 1834, the Statistical Commission for the Metal Industry had been founded with Le Play as its first secretary. He built up this pioneer statistical unit in its early years, remaining a member until 1848. In 1841 Le Play was visiting metal-works in various parts of France, and then in the following year he was back in England again.
