Nov. 1 8, iS8o] 



NA TURE 



51 



meeting of the Sanitary Assurance Association, presided 

 over by Sir Josepli Fayrer, eminent members of tlie two 

 professions whicli must always occupy tlie most reponsible 

 position in connection witli houseliold sanitary matters, 

 the professions of medicine and architecture, bore ample 

 evidence to this fact, and at the same time to the neces- 

 sity for some organisation by which the benefit of the 

 best advice on such matters may be brought within the 

 reach of the many. At this meeting I\Ir. Mark H. 

 Judge pointed out that the Association "was the out- 

 come of efforts which had been going on for some 

 months to bring together architects and medical men 

 in connection with the important question of house 

 sanitation," and the names already identified with the 

 Association are a sufficient guarantee that it will be both 

 practical and permanent in its character. Sir Joseph 

 Fayrer rightly stated in his opening address that " there 

 is a terrible absence of all supervision of sanitary arrange- 

 ments and drainage in many of the houses of the metro- 

 polis," and that although the richer classes of the 

 population are able to get that sanitary advice which will 

 enable them to make their houses wholesome, " there is 

 an enormous population left, as regards which such a 

 thing is hardly possible." Saying that he believed the 

 idea was beginning to grow that " sanitation generally 

 will increase the value of life," he continued, "over and 

 over again it has come to my knowledge, and even 

 occurred under my own observation, that families, 

 children and servants, have suffered by the defects of 

 drainage or sewer air — that great enemy to public 

 health. I would venture to offer no opinion as to the 

 nature of the diseases that proceed from sewer air, nor 

 even enter into any discussion on the precise character of 

 the air — the nature of the germs and the character of the 

 poisons that it communicates ; but that it does destroy 

 health and induce disease is beyond a doubt. That it is 

 greatly under the control of sanitary law is equally 

 certain, and there are men now who have so studied and 

 comprehended the nature of those laws, that they are 

 able, practically as well as theoretically, to give that 

 assistance and that advice which should render those 

 conditions almost innocuous — in fact it should prevent 

 them altogether.' ' 



Dr. Andrew Clark, after stating that he considered the 

 Association "one of the most pressing needs of the 

 present time," added: — "Furthermore I am convinced 

 that if the Association can secure and retain the services 

 of men with the scientific and practical knowledge pos- 

 sessed by Prof Corfield, and will hold itself free from 

 undertaking the execution of the works which it may 

 suggest, superintend, and from time to time certify as 

 sufficient, it will do important service to the public, and 

 confer much and just credit upon all concerned." 



Mr. Edwin Chadwick, the veteran sanitarian, said that 

 " he constantly advised people, from his knowledge, ' Do 

 not take that house unless you have it examined first. If 

 the drains are out of order do not take it till they are put 

 right. That was exactly what this Association had to 

 supply." 



We are happy to state that the formation of the Asso- 

 ciation was decided upon, and the following gentlemen 

 ■were appointed a committee to organise it:— George 

 Aitchison, F.R.I.B.A. ; Prof. \V. H. Corfield, M.A., 



M.D. ; Prof F. de Chaumont, M.D., F.R.S. ; Mark H. 

 Judge, Prof T. Hayter Lewis, F.S.A. ; H. Rutherford 

 Barrister-at-Law ; with Prof Corfield as Chief Sanitary 

 Officer, and Mr. Judge as Surveyor. 



It is surely as necessary to be assured against pre- 

 ventible diseases as it is to be assured against fire, and 

 we see from the preliminary prospectus issued that it is 

 intended to give persons who place their houses on the 

 Assurance Register certificates that their houses are in a 

 satisfactory sanitary condition, and to endorse such 

 certificates from time to time ; this latter point is of great 

 importance, as it is only by regular inspection at stated 

 intervals that it is possible to ascertain that all continues 

 to work satisfactorily. 



A very important feature is also the proposal to examine 

 and report on the plans of new houses, for there is at 

 present absolutely no control exerted over the sanitary 

 arrangements of new houses in the metropolis. 



We have given such prominence to this matter because 

 we believe that the Association will supply a widely-felt 

 want, and will do good not only directly but indirectly 

 too ; thus wise builders will take care to have their houses 

 supervised and certified, and will reap their reward in 

 increased facilities for letting ; architects will submit their 

 plans for criticism and suggestion ; and so the public will 

 in many ways reap a lasting benefit. In this countiy few 

 new things succeed unless public opinion is ripe for them. 

 We are slow to adopt new ideas ; but we have now learnt 

 the importance of preventing disease, we believe that 

 much of our health depends on the perfection of the 

 drainage arrangements of our houses, and we are ready 

 to place them in the hands of an association in which we 

 can have confidence. 



HINCKS'S ''BRITISH MARINE POLYZOA ' 



A History of the British Marine Polyzoa. By Thomas 



Hincks, B.A., F.R.S. (London : J. Van Voorst, i88o.) 



THE value to science of Mr. Van Voorst's splendid 

 series of volumes descriptive of the Natural History 

 of the British Islands is scarcely to be overrated. The 

 monographs are all the work of most eminent naturahsts, 

 in whom perfect confidence may be placed, and they are 

 sumptuously printed and illustrated with abundance of 

 e-xcellent plates and woodcuts. The thanks of naturalists 

 generally are certainly due to Mr. Van Voorst. The 

 present work is fully equal in merit to its predecessors ; 

 it consists of two volumes — one of 600 pages of text, the 

 other containing eighty-three lithographic plates. Mr. 

 Hincks, whose industry is indefatigable, has already con- 

 tributed to Mr. Van Voorst's series the well-known excel- 

 lent monograph on the Hydroid Zoophytes. The labour 

 involved in the production of a monograph such as that 

 now under consideration is very great. All the 235 

 species occurring on the British coast are figured, with 

 one or two exceptions in cases where specimens do not 

 exist for the purpose. All the figures have been drawn 

 by the author_ himself and beautifully lithographed by 

 Mr. Hollick. Further figures are added taken from 

 various monographs where such are necessary for the 

 elucidation of the subject. 



The work commences with an introduction,|in which 

 the author, after expressing his obligation to Mr. Buskj 



