478 DISCUSSION 



No doubt this would be good, but how much better to have a public suffi- 

 ciently instructed to judge for itself. When the general public is convinced, 

 by knowledge and experience, of the value of liquid milk, will they not do 

 something to see that Government control leads to announcements not of 

 a rise but of a fall in its price ? In these and in other directions such as 

 tariffs, production and import of food-stuffs, housing, unemployment and 

 relief payments, which all have their physiological aspect, vaccination, 

 diphtheria immunisation, an instructed public could do much to raise the 

 standard of the national health. To-day, therefore, more than ever it 

 seems true to say that the proper study of mankind is man. 



I do not expect the millennium to come in this way, but to give people the 

 possibilities of the happiness that goes with real health is not a bad beginning 

 towards its achievement. 



Dr. H. E. Magee. — The importance of physiology education from the 

 cultural and utilitarian aspects. 



The subject of this discussion involves consideration of the purpose of 

 education in general as well as of the case for the inclusion of physiology 

 amongst the subjects intended for the education of the people as a whole. 

 Education may be looked upon from the cultural and from the utilitarian 

 standpoint. Few people to-day — perhaps very few — would subscribe to 

 the purely materialistic conception of learning so well expressed by Locke 

 in these words, ' It is very seldom seen that anyone discovers mines of 

 gold on Parnassus. It is a pleasant place but a barren soil.' Moreover, 

 few would agree that the aim of all education is purely cultural. The 

 majority most probably regard both objectives as essential to any educational 

 system, a conception fairly accurately expressed in this saying from Cicero, 

 ' Accordingly as soon as we escape from the pressure of necessary cares, 

 forthwith we desire to see to hear and to learn ; and consider the knowledge 

 of what is hidden or is wonderful a condition of our happiness.' This 

 implies that attention must first be given to the demands of our animal 

 existence, because, only when these are satisfied, would we be in a condition 

 to * desire to see to hear and to learn.' But, although training with a view 

 to the satisfaction of our material needs may be regarded as the primary 

 function of education, there can be no question about this being inferior to 

 the cultural aim. The desire for knowledge of objective reality, that is of 

 truth, of whatever kind, is inherent in the human mind and truth is indeed 

 the proper object of the intelligence. The highest value of education, 

 therefore, is the cultivation and development of the intellect so as to enable 

 it to apprehend and appreciate a knowledge of truth. The cultivated 

 intellect, according to J. H. Newman, ' is a good in itself, brings with it 

 a power and a grace to every work and occupation which it undertakes, and 

 enables us to be more useful and to a greater number.' 



We have now to consider whether these objectives would be attained by 

 the regular teaching of physiology in schools. That it has a cultural value 

 is clear from the following quotation from Jacks, who, speaking of the 

 education of the body, said ' The highest attainments of the human spirit 

 require the body as well as the mind to be enlisted in their pursuit. It is 

 a principle with a very broad application. It applies not only to the high 

 attainments of the mystic, the genius, the creative thinker, but to the every- 

 day virtues of the common man : self-respect, self-control, courage, trust- 

 worthiness, decency and clean conduct in general. These also are un- 

 attainable unless the body as well as the mind is enlisted in their pursuit.' 

 Co-operation of mind and body implies harmony between the activities of 



