Philusojjhical Inatitiite of Cantcrhnry. 625 



there is already more than enough outside of our society ; and, indeed, 

 this is quite true. But I contend that we should approach them in a 

 different spirit, and with more chance of eliciting the spark of truth. 

 Again, it will be said, perhaps, that the introduction of vexed social and 

 economic questions into our lecture-room would bring in strife. If so, 

 more's the pity. For my part, however, for the sake of vitalizing our 

 body, I should not regret the occasional departure of a little of that calm 

 serenity which may be a mark of true philosophy, but is also a character- 

 istic of death. Wherever there is life there is, at all events amongst the 

 higher animals, always a certain amount of heat ; and it is the apparent 

 indifference of our Institute to subjects, such as these, of real and in- 

 tense human interest, that perhaps has partly alienated from it public 

 sympathy. Again, a more .important subject than sanitary science or 

 hygiene cannot well be conceived, and our colonies study it less than the 

 INIother-country — perhaps because they think there is less urgency about 

 it in sparsely-peopled lands, with abundant supplies, ordinarily, of good 

 food, air, and water, and generalh^ fine climate. But medical men know 

 well that there are many interesting and most important questions as to 

 the origin and prevention, prevalence and spread, of peculiar forms of 

 disease even in the healthiest colonics, well deserving attention on the 

 part of others than doctors. Consider, for example, the prevalence of 

 antemia among young people in New Zealand. Does this spring from ex- 

 ceptional indifference to and breach of hygeian law ? Or have geological 

 or meteorological facts something to do with it ? Has the perpetual bath 

 of sunshine to which we are subject, and which we so much enjoy, some 

 disadvantages in forcing on too rapid development and otherwise ? Is 

 the large amount of ozone that we breathe an unmixed blessing ? Is not 

 our drinking-water frequently so soft as to lower the strength of the 

 animal organism, and render it specially liable to the attacks of epi- 

 demics ? Are any other of our new conditions of living here particularly 

 unwholesome ? Is the hardy Anglo-Saxon race, when transplanted here, 

 to a lower latitude than that of its original habitat, deteriorating in 

 phj-sique somewhat ? How do the anthropometric results come out, as 

 drawn by Mr. Forbes from the figures collected at the Duncdin Exhibi- 

 tion, as regards young New-Zealanders ? What do the annual statistics 

 show as to the prevalence of insanity and suicide among us ? Is the 

 isolation of life so frequently endured in the remoter parts of the colony 

 producing an exceptional amount of morbid mental action ? To what 

 circumstance did we owe our recent visitation of influenza, a few months 

 after it broke out in the east of Europe ? Were the germs of the disease 

 brought by vessels, or conveyed by the winds in their terrestrial circula- 

 tion ? Tliese and a thousand other kindred questions, in the absence of 

 a Sanitary Institute amongst us, medical men and scientific specialists 

 might advantageously meet together to discuss, and much outside interest 

 would thereby be aroused." 



The President advocated, as an aid to the Institute, the formation of 

 a Field Naturalists' Club, and of sections composed each of a few of the 

 members who are devoted to some special subject. 



40 



