Hziman Physiology. 



interests of all who are concerned with the public health could 

 be reached in the same way, we should soon reach the mini- 

 mum of disease and mortality. A shocking case ; but are not 

 people dying all around us from similar causes, the neglect of 

 governments and the selfish greed of landlords and others ? 



In the meantime, I see nothing more important than sanitary 

 education the education of the whole people in the laws of 

 health and sanitary science, based upon a sound knowledge of 

 Human and Comparative Physiology. This should form the 

 most important, the indispensable part of the course in every 

 public and private school, college, and university, and enter 

 into every competitive examination. If the laws of health were 

 universally known if they were regarded by every magistrate 

 and municipality if their maintenance came to be an honour, 

 and their violation a disgrace, we should soon see as great a 

 change as was effected in the health and mortality of the 

 convicts. 



Even with our imperfect sanitary arrangements much can be 

 done to ward off a threatening epidemic. The yellow fever, it 

 has been abundantly demonstrated, can be kept out of every 

 American seaport by a rigid quarantine. A black frost kills the 

 germs of the disease. It is probable that chlorine gas or some 

 equally powerful disinfecting agent would destroy it. I was in 

 Boston when the cholera first visited America, coming first to 

 Quebec and Montreal by the River St. Lawrence. Boston was 

 as much exposed as any seaport town, but an energetic Mayor 

 and city government cleaned it thoroughly, and so filled the 

 whole atmosphere with chloride of lime that we were nearly 

 suffocated. There was not a case of cholera. Probably sul- 

 phurous acid the fumes of burning sulphur might have had 

 the same efficacy, possibly Condy's fluid ; but I should rather 

 trust to chlorine. 



When travellers visit malarious regions subject to intermittent 

 or remittent fevers, they take quinine as a preventive. It is 



