NATURE 



121 



THURSDAY, DECEMBER II, 1$ 



HEALTH LABORATORIES AS THE RESULT 

 OF THE HEALTH EXHIBITION 



MEN of science have thus far regarded the South 

 Kensington Exhibitions of the last two years with 

 very languid interest, if not with some suspicion. There 

 has been throughout some show of scientific intent and 

 much promise of serious result. Needless to say, how- 

 ever, that in regard to the Fisheries Exhibition, whatever 

 may be in store for the future, very little of what was 

 promised of solid or scientific result has thus far been 

 definitely realised. That Exhibition achieved a certain 

 success in technical interest and much was hoped in 

 financial result, but there has been a remarkable reticence 

 in respect to the surplus obtained and its proposed dis- 

 posal. Little, if anything, has been announced in reply 

 to the urgent requests that have been put forward for 

 information on this subject as to the promotion of new 

 knowledge which should aid the protection of the harvest 

 of the sea, or help to give us information, of which we 

 stand sadly in need, as to the best means of favouring the 

 growth and hindering the destruction of the marine staple 

 of food. So far the Marine Biological Association, which 

 has been started by voluntary effort, has not received any 

 promise of or share in the large sum of money which must 

 now be standing to the credit of the Fisheries' Council. 

 That body are in the happy position of having a continuing 

 receipt as lessors of the buildings just vacated by the Inter- 

 national Health Exhibition ; they will receive a handsome 

 sum for the next two years at least, and probably also in the 

 succeeding years, from the Exhibitions already planned 

 and in course of arrangement. They have a future 

 before them rich in golden promise, and it is much to be 

 hoped that they will not be unmindful of the new Marine 

 Association. The Council of the International Health 

 Exhibition have been more prompt in declaring the 

 results of their work and in announcing some of its 

 probable issues. Of this Exhibition also it was said, 

 while its doors were open, that the element of display and 

 of public attraction appeared to be much more prominent 

 than did the scientific and solid objects which the great 

 body of busy chemists, sanitarians, and engineers were 

 summoned to assist by their work on the General Com- 

 mittees and on the juries. It will be found, however, by 

 the statement which Mr. Ernest Hart makes in another 

 column of the work done and the results achieved, that, 

 although the serious side of the Exhibition was much 

 less a subject of comment than its more entertaining fea- 

 tures, the Council have steadily held the former in view 

 and are likely still to do so in the proposed disposal of 

 the surplus in promoting solid objects of national im- 

 portance. In this Exhibition for the first time the Council 

 went outside the ordinary routine of exhibits obtained 

 from commercial or speculative sources, and at their own 

 cost brought together and created departments of which 

 the object was purely educational. Thus on the sanitary 

 and unsanitary houses there appears to have been ex- 

 pended nearly iooo/., and probably much more than that 

 on the literature of the Exhibition, including a consider- 

 able series of hand-books by skilled persons, devoted to 

 Vol. xxxi. — No. 789 



the popular exposition of public and private hygiene, and 

 the reports of conferences and lectures. A library was 

 brought together of sanitary and educational works — 

 about five thousand in number. Although far from 

 complete, it was in many departments, especially in 

 those relating to civic, official, and foreign sanitation, 

 more extensive than any that had yet been collected. 

 Of this an excellent printed catalogue was prepared, 

 which is of itself a useful book of reference. Besides 

 this, and perhaps far more important, was the crea- 

 tion of two health laboratories, under the direction 

 of Profs. Corfield and Cheyne. By special application 

 to the French Government a full exhibit was also ob- 

 tained, illustrating the nature of the work and showing 

 the instruments employed by M. Pasteur and M. Mique 

 in their respective institutes. It is well known that 

 laboratories of thi> kind are especially important for the 

 scientific study of the bacteriological problems which 

 have to be worked out, and which form the basis of the 

 most important public health researches of the present 

 day. The scheme which was presented to the Council in 

 the early days of its work for the formation of these 

 laboratories contemplated the creation of temporary 

 laboratories, which should be put in working order and 

 should demonstrate the nature of the work carried on in 

 such laboratories, and its close and immediate connection 

 with the interests of the health of man, and with investiga- 

 tions of high commercial value to every department of agri- 

 culture, and with the study of the costly epizootics which 

 affect the prosperity of the grazing interest and influence of 

 the food-supply of the nation. These laboratories have been 

 in every sense successful. We have already noticed with 

 satisfaction the paragraph in the report which the Council 

 presented on the closing day of the Exhibition, in which 

 they referred to a proposition that had been laid before 

 them for establishing these health laboratories on a perma- 

 nent footing as the best possible application of the surplus. 

 The amount of that surplus has not yet been determined, 

 and it is premature to speculate upon it. There is reason 

 to fear that it will be much less than has been publicly 

 rumoured. We have seen it anticipated in print that it 

 will amount to nearly 30,000/. On the other hand, we 

 have it on good authority that it is not likely to exceed 

 half that sum. However this may be, it is satisfactory 

 that the address, of which we print a part, and which 

 has a semi-official value, coming from a member of the 

 Executive Council, with the Chairman of the Council 

 presiding, adverts to this application of the surplus almost 

 as though it were a settled matter. Mr. Ernest Hart 

 may of course speak with some excessive hope, inasmuch 

 as it is known that the first establishment of these labora- 

 tories was due to his efforts, and they were formed upon 

 the scheme which he drew up for the purpose. The pro- 

 position for making them permanent proceeds comes also 

 from him, and no doubt he has a paternal hopefulness 

 which may be excessive. There is, however, evident 

 reason for accepting this most desirable application of 

 the funds as the most probable issue, seeing that the 

 Duke of Buckingham so heartily indorsed it in his speech 

 at the Society of Arts at the close of the address, and 

 that Sir Frederick Abel, also a member of the Exhibition 

 Council, and not likely to speak with other than official 

 caution, stated that Mr. Hart's scheme had now obtained, 



