1844, winning at each of his several examinations honours in the 

 way of scholarships, exhibitions, and gold medals. He became, as a 

 consequence, Medical Tutor to, and later on was elected Fellow of, 

 University College. 



For ten or a dozen years subsequent to graduation, Ballard prac- 

 tised as a physician, though at the same time exercising tutorial 

 functions and writing on professional subjects. At this stage of his 

 career he joined the Medico- Chirurgical Society, serving the Society 

 as Referee of Papers, as Councillor, and finally as Vice-President. 

 But it was not until 1856, when he accepted the post of Medical 

 Officer of Health for Islington, that he entered on what proved to be 

 his life-work. 



In those days the sanitary functions alike of health officer and 

 of local authority were ill-defined or not defined at all. Ballard 

 had to educate himself, and to educate also his masters, in matters 

 pertaining to public health ; and this, on his appointment, he at 

 once proceeded to do, with that singleness of heart and ignoring 

 of self -advantage which throughout his public life distinguished the 

 man. Thus, while inculcating on his authority the broad and general 

 lines on which they should proceed in remedying the sanitary short- 

 comings of their district, Ballard was hour by hour studying in 

 infinite detail series on series of facts, local and other, the right 

 apprehension of which was, as he was very sure, necessary to fit him 

 as a trustworthy and far-sighted adviser in the interests of the 

 health of his district. It was in this way that Ballard made com- 

 mencement at Islington of those studies of his respecting the 

 influence of various trades on health, and respecting the relation of 

 " Sickness " to Mortality, which subsequently, when in Grovernment 

 service, he extended to the whole country, -with such credit to him- 

 self and to the Department of State which he served. 



In further illustration of his foresight as to questions of public 

 health likely to arise in the future, may be cited his essay ' On Vacci- 

 nation : its Value and alleged Dangers.' Therein he elaborately dis- 

 cussed, with prescience almost, the very considerations which have 

 only lately been occupying, for a series of years, the attention of a 

 Royal Co uimission ; and he delivered, in 1868, practically the same 

 judgment on the subject as that announced in 1896 by the Royal 

 Commission in question. 



Ballard's concern for problems of the future did not, however, 

 render him in any degree insensible to the day-by-day demands 

 of the present, so far as his district was concerned. Current 

 events, in their etiological and in their administrative aspects, 

 obtained from him always their full share of attention ; as, for 

 instance, the now historic Islington outbreak of " milk-enteric 

 fever," in 1870. At that date, notwithstanding previous observa- 



