294 



NATURE 



[December 12. mjiS 



persons between fourteen and eighteen years of age 

 who are in employment, the instruction in which 

 shall extend, within the working day, to - ,s " 01 320 

 hours ih each year, al the upturn of the local authority, 

 arid I"' distributed over such times and seasons as 

 !ii.i\ seeni desirable; the regulations in respect ol 

 yOiltjg persons between the ages of sixteen arid 

 eighteen are, however, not to apply within sever! 

 yfars oi the appointed day. When in full operation 

 these continuation-school courses will deal with some 

 two and a quarter millions ol young people who have 

 hitherto entirely railed to continue their education. 

 It is gratifying to note thai this feature of the Act 

 is already being brought into effect l>\ man) large 

 firms in the North of England. The Act further en- 

 courages the co-operation and combination ol neigh- 

 bouring authorities in an\ schemes, especially those 

 relating to higher education. The crux of the Act 

 lies in a due supply of efficient teachers, but with the 

 offer of heller salaries, improved prospects, ami 

 adequate pensions this essential may be assured. 



THE PUBLIC HEALTH. 1 



'"PHE annual survey of the public health of England 



■*■ and Wales b) the Medical Officer of the Local 

 Government Hoard recently issued contains matter of 

 considerable general interest. 



Thu first few '.pages of the report are devoted to a 

 useful review of events since 1871, the year in which 

 the Local Government Board was established. I he 

 data given show clearly the improvement of the public 

 health since that year. For instance, the total death- 

 rate for 1911-15 is from 42 to 50 per cent, less than 

 that obtaining in 1871-80 for all ages up to fortv-five, 

 and at every subsequent age-period a substantial 

 reduction has been secured. The number of lives 

 saved every year, due to reduction of the death-rate, 

 between 1871-80 and 1910-12 averaged 234,955, 

 and the average expectation of life has increased by 

 ten years for males and by nearly eleven years for 

 females. 



Almost all diseases during this period show a 

 reduced mortality, the exceptions being influenza 

 (which was not prevalent in 1871-80), diphtheria, and 

 cancer. Some of this registered increase in the crude 

 death-rate from cancer arises from the higher averagi 

 age of the population, for cancer becomes more fre- 

 quent as age advances. A still larger proportion is 

 due to more accurate certificatiori of cause of death, 

 but it is still an open question whether the whole 

 of the increase in the mortality from cancer can be 

 thus explained. Whether so or not, cancer remains 

 one of the chief causes of death in man. 



The death-rate in young children has been markedly 

 reduced, and the prevalence of typhoid or enteric Fevet 

 has also rapidly declined since 1911. The formei fact 

 is the best index of combined social and sanitan 

 progress, tlv latter of general sanitan progress. 



The needs of the future are next briefly considered: 

 they are regarded as coming under three principal 

 headings n research into the causation of disease 

 on a much larger scab' than has hitherto been 

 attempted; (2) extension of communal action for the 

 prevention and treatment of disease, and more com- 

 plete training of the medical profession for this work; 

 and (3) simplification and strengthening of administra- 

 tive machinery. 



\n important section on mahrnin and child welfan 

 follows. Attention is directed to the declining birth- 

 rate; in 10,17 '' was " nlv half that nf 1S74. Tn spite 

 of a considerable saving in child-life, the rate of sur- 



1 Forty-seventh Annual Report of the Local Government Board, 1917-1B. 

 Supplement containing the Report of thr Medical Officer for ig 1 7-18. 



NO. 2563, VOL. I02] 



vivors to age five of the total population is a s'teadih 

 declining figure from 27.1 per ,,„„, \„ ,s- ( to 19-6 in 



[916 Mi. 1 Heel of ibis will be 1 ha 1 ■unless economic 



... othei considerations having an opposite influeno 

 come into play, the population, aparl from immigra- 

 tion, will ere long become stationary, the birth 

 lore than counterbalancing the death-] 

 Infant mortality, including still-births, is disci 

 The infant mortality in 1917 for the whole of England 

 and Wales was <>- pei mm births. .1- compared with 

 i)i in 1916, the lowest recorded rate. Judging be the 

 past, it is considered thai we may anticipate a n 

 lion of the national rate of infant mortality to 50 pei 

 1000 births a rate already attained in some parts 



of the country and In New Zealand as a who). 



this desirable end can be secured only by improving 



the welfare of every mother. 



Succeeding sections of the report deal with (<i) the 



prevention of acute infectious diseases, from which we 

 learn that 178 indigenous cases of malaria occurred 

 in 1 . 1 1 ~ ; and (b) the prevention of chronic infectious 

 diseases, of which tuberculosis is the most important. 

 The total (baths from pulmoiiai \ tuberculosis have 

 increased since 1913, and in 11117 the increase was 

 6058, or about one-sixth more than in 1913. This 

 increase was greater among females,, due probably to 

 their more extensive employment in industrial occupa- 

 tions with conditions of strain and overcrowding. 



I In work of port sanitary authorities is surveyed. 

 Rat destruction has been carried out at the principal 

 ports in view of the connection of these rodents with 

 plague infection; some 110,000 rats have been 

 destroyed in the ports of London, Liverpool, and Hull, 

 and of some 12,000 rats specially examined live were 

 found to be plague-infected. 



Appendices contain the reports of inspectors on out- 

 breaks of infectious disease, statistical tables, etc. 



R. T. H. 



IV INSTITl TE OF PHYSICAL AM) 

 CHEMICAL RESEARCH FOR JAPAX. 

 'THE idea long cherished by some of the scientific 

 *■ men in Japan of establishing a national institute 

 of scientific research has, in part at least, been realised 

 — in part, first, because the Institute of Physical and 

 Chemical Research which came into exi-i 

 legal bod} in March, 1917, does not, as its name 

 implies, cover the whole field of science; and, 

 secondly, because the fund now being raised in iis 

 support is not quite sufficient to place the institute 

 upon such a financial basis as was at first contem- 

 plated. Nevertheless, it promises a fair start, and, 

 with wise administration and a judicious choice cd the 

 staff, 11 is hoped that the institute may do some useful 

 work tor the progress of science and industry. 



The outbreak of the great war in 1914, which at 

 once cut off tin import, mainly from Germain, of 

 dyestuffs, ilui^s, and other products of daily necessity, 

 and .11 on. lime almost gave risi to a panic in busi- 

 ie ss was responsible for producing a profound change 

 in the mental altitude ol the Government officials, the 

 business men, and, in fact, the whole nation towards 

 science, rhos< who had in vain been preaching the 

 supreme importance of cultivating science with all 

 activih and pleading tor public support now saw at 

 on. 1 that the right opportunity presented itself, .m.l 

 lost no tune in drawing up a definite plan for an 

 institute of physical and chemical research — a plan 

 which, though not ideal, was deemed to be practicable 

 and to meet the most urgent need. This, fortunatelv, 

 obtained the cordial support of some of the mo'sl 

 influential and public-spirited of the business mm. 

 particular!) of Baron Shibusawa, and afterwards 



