Septembek 11, 1885.] 



SCIENCE. 



209 



lay before the public the truth with regard to exist- 

 ing evils. An unvarnished statement of things as 

 they really are, cannot awaken that interest which 

 arises when people imagine, after each meal, that 

 they feel the effects of the alum in the bread, or 

 the burning of the vitriol in the glucose adulterated 

 sugar, or the heavy weight of the clay out of which 

 the coffee-berries were moulded. It is certainly an 

 important service to public health, that of investigat- 

 ing the actual state of existing evils; and noble ex- 

 amples of such service are seen in the investigations 

 by the Lancet of food sold in London. Another 

 point where chemistry comes advantageously in con- 

 tact with the public health, is in the suggestion of 

 practical remedies for existing evils: some seem to 

 believe that the proper method is, in all cases, to as- 

 certain the existence of the offence, and then to 

 order its discontinuance; but generally, where the 

 evil has been long growing, and where our pecuniary 

 interests are involved, such summary legislation is, 

 as a rule, unjust. 



Lavoisier, Berthollet, and, in more recent times, 

 Frankland and others, have interested themselves in 

 the application of chemistry to sanitary purposes ; 

 but Pettenkoffer and Angus Smith have been spe- 

 cially prominent workers in this line. This list shows 

 that able chemists have been willing to devote their 

 time to sanitary chemistry; but how of ten it is the 

 case, that a brief course in analysis is held to justify a 

 person in acting as an adviser, as the state assayer or 

 public analyst! 



Professor Nichols stated that he had been asked, 

 What is sanitary chemistry ? Is it any thing more 

 than puttering? as if the problems were all solved, 

 and we had but to follow a mechanical process. 

 Our knowledge of the normal composition of the at- 

 mosphere rests upon the analysis of many chemists; 

 but, while we know so much, who knows the bearing 

 upon health of the variations to which the atmos- 

 phere is subject? How much, in spite of the work 

 of Professor Eemsen, do you know of the organic 

 matter in the air, and the proper methods for its de- 

 detection and estimation ? Professor Remsen and 

 others have found that the passage of carbon mon- 

 oxide through the heated iron of our furnaces is 

 practically of no account; but who can tell us of the 

 composition and amount of the gaseous ' somethings ' 

 which make the anthracite-heated atmosphere of our 

 houses so different from that of a house heated by a 

 wood-furnace? It is asserted by some that the day of 

 chemical examinations is passing away, and that the 

 wholesomeness of w^ater will be determined by the 

 biologist, not by the chemist. Without detracting 

 from the present value of biological methods, we 

 cannot believe that they can replace chemical exam- 

 ination for a long time yet: it must first become cer- 

 tain that all the evil effects of impure water are due 

 to the organisms now so eagerly studied. When the 

 biological examination of water has been placed on a 

 firm basis, it will then be necessary to carry out the 

 work begun by Professor Mallet, of discovering the 

 chemical characteristics which belong to waters 

 which a biological examination condemns, and of 



making these characteristics the basis of future 

 chemical analysis. In the matter of the pollution of 

 streams by sewage, there is much chemical work to 

 be done. The natural purification of streams is ad- 

 mitted to be a fact; but chemists differ as to the 

 extent to which it takes place, and the agencies at 

 work. The action of oxygen has been and is to-day 

 being studied; but clear light will not be obtained so 

 long as we are content to speak of 'organic matter' 

 as though it were a definite something. 



Sanitary science comes nearest to the public in the 

 examination of foods and drinks. Chemical exam- 

 ination of such substances has long been provided 

 for by law, and in recent years has seen greatly in- 

 creased activity. Provision is made on the continent 

 of Europe for such examinations; and there are lab- 

 oratories at the service of the public, either gratis, or 

 under a tariff often ridiculously low. In this country, 

 more or less stringent laws against adulteration exist ; 

 and these laws, in some states, have been made more 

 stringent on account of popular feeling, which was 

 at its height in 1878 and 1879; but the enforcement of 

 such laws is usually in the hands of the state boards 

 of health, which are often hampered by the want of 

 suitable appropriations. As far as Professor Nichols 

 was informed, no laboratories have been established 

 by states or municipalities, where the public can 

 have analyses made either gratis, or for a moderate 

 fee ; and it is doubtful how far the establishment of 

 such laboratories is desirable. The laboratories 

 which exist in connection with various educational 

 institutions are probably all that is needed; and 

 there are advantages in securing the co-operation of 

 a number of able chemists, as is done in New York 

 State, and in assigning to each certain descriptions 

 of articles for analysis. 



Investigations in sanitary chemistry have been un- 

 dertaken in the various agricultural and physiologi- 

 cal laboratories ; but one of the first — if not the first 

 laboratory founded for the investigation of these 

 questions — was that established in Dresden, in Jan- 

 uary, 1871, under the direction of Dr. Fleck. Among 

 subjects investigated at this institution, were the 

 various methods of water and food analysis, meth- 

 ods of protecting combustible and inflammable ma- 

 terial, and the effect of arsenical iDapers upon the 

 air of rooms. The state board of health of Massa- 

 chusetts led the way on this side of the water, and 

 the earlier reports of the board contain many papers 

 on similar questions. 



The education of those who propose to follow this 

 line of work requires a thorough knowledge of gen- 

 eral and analytical chemistry, and of physics. It is 

 quite possible to take a bright lad from the grammar 

 school, or even from the street, and teach him to 

 make analytical determinations with great accuracy; 

 but this does not make a chemist of him. Courses 

 in sanitary engineering in our technical schools have 

 been established, but how far these courses will 

 develop does not yet appear. In order that the stu- 

 dent may have an intelligent idea of what questions 

 should be submitted to the chemist, and how the 

 results obtained should be understood, he should 



