Decay of National Physique. 45 



all easily explained as the result of youth rather than disease. 

 This conclusion becomes irresistible when we interrogated Sir 

 Thomas Crawford's figures regarding the relative ratio of 

 rejections for diseases which beyond yea or nay indicate 

 constitutional defect. The rejections from scrofula at the 

 earlier period were IC54 P er i> °o, while at the latter they 

 were only 3-21 per thousand. For consumption the rejections 

 were 4-26 per 1,000 at the first period, and only 2-54 at the 

 second. He thought we may safely conclude that, not only 

 did Sir Thomas Crawford's figures fail to establish their author's 

 conclusions, but might with ease be made to bear an exactly 

 opposite construction. 



Dr. Lindsay having analysed the figures and statements 

 adduced by Dr. Fothergill, proceeded to demonstrate the 

 following propositions : — (1.) That we are rapidly becoming a 

 nation of town-dwellers. (2.) That town life has many and 

 grave dangers to health. (3.) That hygiene, preventive 

 medicine, philanthropy, and legislation are very largely occupied 

 in attempting to grapple with and obviate those dangers. (4.) 

 That, when a balance is struck between the dangers of 

 advancing civilisation and the safeguards which it is ever 

 learning better to devise, there is no reason to apprehend a 

 speedy degeneracy of the race. 



The many and grave dangers associated with town life might 

 be roughly classified as follows :— Dangers arising from impurity 

 of air and water, improper dietary, lack of opportunity for 

 wholesome exercise and recreation ; facilities which exist for 

 the spread of communicable diseases ; and, lastly, the dangers 

 which beset the town dwellers from the evils of excessive 

 competition with its corollaries, and over-pressure education 

 among the young, and feverish excitement and strain at all 

 ages. This is the cause of a great controversy in every 

 civilised country. Education has made almost incredible 

 strides during the last two or three decades. It has become 

 more thorough, rational, and scientific. We recognise, in 

 theory at least, that the true end of education is not the 

 acquisition of facts, but the training of faculty. With this 



