54 
Those who had tried to kill the germ after it had reached 
the soil, as it were, had been disappointed, and there was 
nothing to hope in that direction. Clearly it was evident 
that it was their duty to stamp out the disease if they were to 
deal properly with the soil, and in doing that they opened 
up one of the biggest questions connected with public health 
administration. They knew the organisms found lurking 
places in ill- ventilated, badly-drained and small dwelling- 
houses, and that they attacked people who lived in such a 
way that they lessen their resistance to disease. Sanatoria 
had been erected to send people to, but it was curious that 
Edinburgh, which evolved the finest institution, was beign- 
ning to doubt the wisdom of it all, and to think that what 
ought to have been done was the tackling of the surroundings 
of the people before they were attacked by the disease. That 
meant that public opinion must be roused in such a way 
that through the ballot box it would demand better housing 
and home conditions. We were spending large sums of 
money with little benefit, but whatever national and local 
authorities might try to do for a person, it ultimately resolved 
itself into what a person could do for himself. Unless a 
person would endeavour to help himself, the efforts of the 
authorities would not meet with the success they ought to do. 
In 1907 Parliament decided that they should make a begin- 
ning with the child — there should be medical inspection at 
school which would carry with it the feeding of children. 
It meant the seeking out of troubles that, in an early stage, 
could be remedied, and of which a parent did not realise 
the lull significance. The school doctor had to anticipate 
defects. In this matter they came across the question : 
Had the municipality any right to try to help a child against 
its parents’ wishes ? He pointed out that 'when the fran- 
chise was extended in the late 60’s, it was bound to follow 
that they must have a scheme of compulsory education if 
they were not going to have people voting who were not tit, 
and just as they compelled attendance at the elementary 
school they were bound to see that that attendance was 
under proper conditions. If a parent had no choice in sending 
his children to school, the authorities should see that the 
conditions did not interfere with the child’s natural growth. 
If the authorities had a properly ventilated and thoroughly 
equipped school for the child to go to, it ought to go a step 
further and see that no child was in attendance which was 
not in a lit and proper condition to profit by the instruction 
given, lie advocated medical examination in secondary 
schools. 
