Possibly the earliest study into the effectiveness of prayer comes from the Englishman, Francis Galton (1872) in his article entitled Statistical Inquiries into the Efficacy of Prayer. In this report, the author cited his own examination of the data of life expectancies of clergy and members of the royal houses, both of whom were assumed to pray more than the general population and to be supported more through intercessory prayer than anyone else. However, the study results indicated the opposite trend with physicians and lawyers outlasting clergy, and missionaries not living any longer than commoners.