Sir John Simon. 339 



his office. But from 1866 or 1867 onwards he, with the cordial 

 approval of his ministerial chief, set on foot inquiries of a more 

 theoretical nature. These were undertaken witliout reference to imme- 

 diate practical results, in the confidence that, as Mr. Simon put it, " they 

 would lead to more precise and intimate knowledge of the causes and 

 processes of important diseases, and would thus augment more and 

 more the vital resources of preventive medicine." The expenses of 

 these investigations were, in the first instance, provided for by special 

 Parliamentary grants, but in 1870, when Mr. Lowe was Chancellor of 

 the Exchequer, an annual subsidy of ,2,000 was voted by Parliament 

 for the " Auxiliary Investigations for the advancement of Medicine," 

 to be conducted by the Medical Department. Thus preventive 

 medicine profited a second time by the enlightened appreciation of this 

 distinguished statesman. 



Happily the legislation of 1871 did not affect this grant, so that 

 until his resignation Simon had ample means for carrying on the 

 researches which he thought important. These related chiefly to 

 fundamental setiological questions concerning the nature of infection, 

 the pathological anatomy of tuberculous disease, the relation between 

 the tuberculous and the traumatic infections, the aetiology of cancer, 

 and other equally important subjects. In all these inquiries Simon 

 obtained the co-operation of men who had the necessary time and 

 technical training for the work committed to them ; and it may be 

 noted that in his official repoi ts of the results, he invariably gave the 

 principal credit for whatever new discoveries were achieved, to his 

 coadjutors, even when these additions to knowledge resulted from 

 investigations initiated by himself. 



Having arrived at this turning point in the history of Mr. Simon's 

 official life, it will not appear out of place to summarize the outcome of 

 his twelve years of active effort (1859-71). No impartial person will 

 question that they were also years of achievement. As a sanitary 

 administrator he had begun by realizing that the most serious obstacle 

 to effectual work was want of sufficient information as to the nature of 

 the dangers it was his business to guard against. By means of his 

 Annual Reports, particularly those published during the earlier years of 

 his tenure of office, he had shown the nature of the information 

 wanted, the means by which it must be acquired, and how it could 

 best be rendered available for the public service. 



He held it to be necessary that special investigations should be 

 promptly made in all parts of England, wherever and whenever the 

 local prevalence of disease afforded ground for apprehending the 

 existence of epidemics, or the prevalence of local, occupational, or other 

 insanitary conditions. He also considered it to be indispensable that 



