August i i, 1904J 



NA TURE 



347 



to mix with a large number of people with all the 

 ■excitement and g^ossip of factory life. They would 

 thus in most cases grow up entirely ignorant of every- 

 thing pertaining to domesticity. .After marriage, 

 therefore, it is hardly probable that they would 

 willingly relinquish this life to undertake work of 

 which thev are in so large a measure ignorant, and 

 "which is robbed of all that is to them pleasant and 

 •exciting. Until as girls they have been taught to find 

 a. pleasure in domestic life, and until there is a greater 

 supply of healthy and suitable recreations and amuse- 

 ments in the reach of all women, to counteract the 

 prevailing squalor and gloom of these pottery towns, 

 it is u.seless to expect them to relinquish factory 

 Jife." 



I'nder the heading of alcohol, its devitalising effects 

 are dulv noted, and finally attention is directed to 

 their steady decrease owing to wise legislation in 

 Norway and Sweden. " The reverse of the picture 

 presented by France is complete, seeing that besides 

 a diminution in crimes, suicides and deaths from 

 alcoholism and syphilitic diseases, the percentage of 

 <x>nscripts refused has been steadily reduced, showing 

 an elevation in the standard constitution of the people. 

 Thus in Sweden the consumption of spirits containing 

 50 per cent, of alcohol in 1S30 was 46 litres, and in 

 1890, 6 litres per head. The percentage of rejection 

 of conscripts in 1S45 was 34.46, and in 1885, ig.6i." 



The evidence generally is of a cogent character, 

 and has led to many recommendations for the common 

 weal such as seem to be at present opportune. These 

 are summarised under no less than fiftv-three head- 

 ings, which fill eight pages of the Blue-book. 



We may quote in full two recommendations which 

 are made with emphasis : — 



" The Committee are emphatic in recommending 

 the creation of an Advisory Council, representing the 

 Departments of State, within whose province questions 

 touching the physical well-being of the people fall, 

 with the addition of members nominated bv the medical 

 corporations and others, whose dutv it should be, not 

 only to receive and apply the information derived from 

 the .Vnthropometric Survey and the Register of Sick- 

 ness, but also to advise the Government on all legis- 

 lative and administrative points concerning public 

 health in respect of which State interference might be 

 expedient; and to them might be remitted for consider- 

 ation and report all the problems affecting public 

 health which the requirements of a complex social 

 organisation are constantly bringing to the front. 

 Such a Council, the composition of which might be 

 modelled to some extent on Le Comili Consiiltatif 

 d'hygiene publique de France, would be, the Committee 

 believe, of great assistance, especially to the Local 

 Government Board, and would be calculated to supply 

 the knowledge and stimulus which are necessary in 

 order to give to the Public Health side of the Hoard's 

 administration a prominence which the multiplicity of 

 Its other functions may have tended to obscure, and to 

 attract to its work that measure of public interest and 

 support which has perhaps been lacking hitherto." 



" The Committee are emphatic in recommending 

 that a systematised medical inspection of children at 

 school should be imposed as a public dutv on every 

 school authority, and they agree with the Royal Com- 

 mission on Physical Training (Scotland) that a con- 

 tribution towards the cost should be made out of the 

 Parliamentary Vote. With the assistance of teachers 

 properly trained in the various branches of hygiene, 

 the system could be so far based on their observations 

 and records that no large and expensive medical staff 

 would be necessary. The lines on which the inspec- 

 tion should be conducted are laid down in paragraphs 

 323-326 of the Report." 



NO. 18 I 5, VOL. 70] 



Many other recommendations like these make pro- 

 vision to inform the authorities; such are: — register 

 of owners of houses ; local sanitary authority to report 

 its action or inaction to Local Government Board; 

 Local Government Board to inform all local authori- 

 ties what the law and the powers it confers are as 

 to insanitary and overcrowded house property ; infant 

 mortality rates to be published for particular areas and 

 for particular industries. 



Educational effort is recommended with regard to : — 

 alcoholism; rural opportunities at rural schools; food 

 and cookery ; cookery, hygiene, and domestic economy ; 

 infant feeding; training of mothers; health associ- 

 ations. 



Games, exercises, and physical education form the 

 subject of several recommendations. 



Existing legal powers should be employed for : — the 

 enforcement of a standard and drastic dealing with 

 overcrowding in certain of the worst districts ; smoke 

 pollution ; the remedying of the dearth of country 

 cottas^es ; the precautions to procure the purity of milk 

 supply. 



New powers, apparently, are called for in regard 

 to: — labour colonies and public nurseries; smoke 

 pollution from dwelling houses ; medical inspection of 

 factories, coal mines, workshops; provision of a grate 

 suitable for cooking in every dwelling let for the 

 occupation of a family; prohibiting the sale of tobacco 

 to children below a certain age. 



Upon several points the committee ask for further 

 inquiry to be carried out — over-fatigue in women; 

 sterilisation and refrigeration of milk ; and some special 

 subjects. 



In conclusion, " the committee hope that the facts 

 and opinions they have collected will have some effect in 

 allaving the apprehensions of those who, as it appears 

 on insufficient grounds, have made up their minds that 

 progressive deterioration is to be found among the 

 people generally. .At any rate the committee believe 

 that their labours will result in giving matter for 

 reflection to those who realise the importance of 

 evidence towards the determination of issues of such 

 uncertainty and complexity, and that these persons, 

 who thev would fain hope are the larger portion of 

 the thinking community, will await the necessary steps 

 being taken to secure that body of well sifted and 

 accurate information, without which it is impossible 

 to arrive at any conclusion of value as to the general 

 problem. 



" It mav be argued that there is here no immediate 

 remedy, and that years must elapse before the lack of 

 knowledge is supplied ; but in regard to those evils 

 the existence of which is admitted, the committee have 

 recognised what can be done in the interval, and are 

 confident that if their recommendations are adopted a 

 considerable distance will have been traversed towards 

 an amendment of the conditions they have described. 



" In the carrying out of their recommendations for 

 the rectification of acknowledged evils, the committee 

 do not rely upon any large measure of legislative assist- 

 ance ; the law may with advantage be altered and 

 elaborated in certain respects, but the pathway to im- 

 provement lies in another direction. Complacent 

 optimism and administrative indifference must be 

 attacked and overcome, and a large-hearted sentiment 

 of public interest take the place of timorous counsels 

 and sectional prejudice." 



The workmanship shown in the elaboration of this 

 report is stimulating. The recommendations bid fair 

 to inaugurate great social amendment. They appeal 

 to the public as much as to our legislators, and afford 

 to all a view of many fields for doing one's duty to 

 one's neighbour, for encouraging good local govern- 

 ment, and for raising the standard of citizenship. 



