THE OUTLOOK FOR HUMAN HEALTH 



By BERNARD HOUGHTON, B.A. 



Indian Civil Service 



Mankind, or at least the educated portion thereof, have within 

 the past half-century entered into a new and very beautiful 

 world. In almost every branch of science, whether astronomy, 

 biology, geology, chemistry, physics or anthropology, the 

 atmosphere teems with the busy toil of workers and is electric 

 with the actual or expectant discovery of new and important 

 facts. Brilliant and fascinating as is this fairyland of science, all 

 may not fall within its glamour or perceive the true significance 

 of the gifts it ceaselessly tenders for the benefit of humanity. 

 But there is one branch of knowledge which, whether we will 

 or not, intrudes itself on our attention and insists, under penalty 

 of death or torture, on a punctilious regard to its teachings. 

 Such is the science of medicine or rather hygiene, viewed in its 

 broadest and most comprehensive aspect. The goal of this 

 science is, or should be, to maintain human beings throughout 

 their lives in perfect physical health. And when we reflect how 

 profound an influence health or its absence exerts not only on 

 our happiness, prosperity and material welfare but also on our 

 intellectual achievements and outlook on life, it will be admitted 

 that the progress of medical science possesses for all of us a 

 quite exceptional interest. Has it shared fully and completely 

 in the grand forward march of knowledge, or is there reason 

 for supposing that in some respects at least it lingers behind, 

 a loiterer with the rearguard ? 



To understand the position it is necessary to remember 

 that, at least from the standpoint of the general public, medical 

 science is separated naturally into two capital divisions, the 

 prophylaxis or prevention and the therapeutics or the cure of 

 disease. There exist various other important sections, such as 

 anatomy, diagnosis, histology, pathology and so forth but, so far 

 as the general public is concerned, prophylaxis and therapeutics 

 constitute the really vital and essential ones. And since 



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