Ivi 

 ABSTRACT OF PROCEEDINGS, AUGUST. 1905. 



MONTHLY MEETING. 



At the monthly meeting of the Royal 

 Society of Tasmania last evening, H t5 

 Excellency the Governor (Sir Geraid 

 Strickland) presided; Lady Stricklantl, 

 with Miss Drummond and suite, being 

 also present. 



Public Health Work. 



The meeting first discussed Dr. El- 

 kington',s paper on "Some economic and 

 eiocial aspectis of public health work." 

 Mr. Nat Oldham attended with his lan- 

 tern, and with the aid of which iliu-- 

 trated some insects which are transmit- 

 ters of disease. 



His Excellency, in opening the discus- 

 sion, tiaid the paper pioved very fascinat- 

 ing to him, and he had gone over it at 

 leaist four times. He had almost oom- 

 pletely failed to find points to criticise. 

 It was written in an exceedingly bright 

 and epigrammatic style well sustained 

 throughout. (Hear, hear.) Dr. Elking- 

 ton had been in contact with epidemics 

 of plague in India, and Tasmania was 

 now fortunate in having the advantages 

 of it, though our conditions here were 

 very different. We had no problems 

 arising from congested populations. It 

 was just the contrary. O'ur population 

 was sparse, and we lived in one of the 

 most healthy parts of the world. Yet 

 the public health, and the care and nur- 

 ture of infantile life needed such an 

 officer to guard them; also in aiding to 

 increase the reputation of the State as 

 a health resort, thereby attracting to 

 Tasmania an ever-increaisdng number cf 

 the most eligible people from other parts 

 of the world and the Australian Com- 

 monwealth. He doubted whether the 

 system obtaining in Tasmania of le- 

 porting infectious diseases was as effici- 

 ent as Dr. Elkington implied. The re- 

 sult of his (His Excellency's) obs^erva- 

 tious was that it was not, owing to diffi- 

 culties, thoroughly efficient anywhere. 

 Certainly, if it was so in Tasmania, it 

 was very greatly to the credit of the 

 Health Department, for, after all, it was 

 the key of succe.-s in sianitary sicience, 

 and the only hope for the abolition of 

 the antiquated and often imposisible 

 quarantine laws. He ventured to disagree 

 with Dr. Elkington as to the yellow 

 fever being more likely to threaten the 

 weistern seaboard, including Australia, 

 and especially Tasmania and New Zea- 

 land, by the opening of the Panama 

 Canal, though he did not deny its im- 

 poo-isibility. x\nd if it did reach our 

 chores, he thought it would be success- 

 fully stamped out with not very serious 

 trouble. The danger of its reaching the 



colder climates of Tasmania and New 

 Zealand he thought was still more re- 

 mote. 



Dr. Gerard Smith spoke in commenda- 

 tion of the aid of local authorities in 

 matters of public health ; but it was 

 very necessary that they should co- 

 operate with the head of the State Public 

 Health Department. He thought that 

 the therapeutic side of the medical pro- 

 fession was paying great attention to 

 preventive medicine. 



Dr. Ciouch commended the paper. 



Mr. Clemes spoke in sympathy with 

 what the paper had said on the im- 

 portance of preventive medicine. 



Mr. Russell Young said the intelligent 

 way in which Dr. Elkington had brought 

 the subject before the public quite justi- 

 fied the action of the (government in ob- 

 taining the services of such an able and 

 independent medical gentleman to take in 

 hand the control of tne general health of 

 the community. (Applause.) He em- 

 phasised the importance of the health of 

 the people, and especially in Tasmania, 

 which was becoming such a noted health 

 and holiday resort. 



Mr. R. M. Johnston spoke of the noble 

 purpose of the paper, and the great public 

 service which Dr. Elkington discharged. 

 Dr. Elkington's directing skill in the in- 

 terests of public health was of great value 

 and importance. Infantile mortality 

 stood lower in Tasmania than in the other 

 States. 



Bishop Mercer wondered why it was 

 that the large amount of insanitary en- 

 vironment among Jewish communities in 

 great cities did not so much affect their 

 health as other people. He was told that 

 they had longer bodies. (Laughter.) 

 Perhaps Dr. Elkington could explain. 

 The State should make some better regu- 

 lations for the protection of health in 

 mining districts. It was very striking 

 the marvellous advantage the Japanese 

 army derived from attending to sanitary 

 matters. He wished to add his tribute 

 of thanks to Dr. Elkington for having 

 contributed such a valuable paper to the 

 society and the State, and trusted it 

 would do much lasting and far-reaching 

 good. (Applause.) 



Dr. Elkington, in replying to the dis- 

 cussion, said that notifications of fevers 

 and contagious diseases were now received 

 in the great majority of cases in Tas- 

 mania. He joined issue with His Ex- 

 cellency as to the danger of yellow fever 

 reaching Australia through the Panama 

 Canal, and quoted Manson, a great au- 

 thority on the subject, to show there was 

 a danger, and Manson was the greatest 

 authority on tropical medicine. The 



