SECTION H—SANITARY SCIENCE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7065, 17 January 1891, Page 4

SECTION H— SANITARY SCIENCE.

In the absence of the Hon Dr Campbell, of Adelaide, President of Section H, Dr de Zouche, of Otago University, presided at the meeting of the Section at 10.30 a.m., at which twenty members were present, and read the Presidential address, written by Dr Campbell, on " The Advancement of Sanitation among the People." The administration of Health Acts, Dr Campbell said, was greatly hindered by many difficulties, which not infrequently lay in the Acts themselves, which seemed to have been purposely passed in a form which only gave the semblance of power to constituted authorities. Sometimes these very authorities, from motives of popularity-hunting or self-interest, passively declined to put their power in operation, or the public, from ignorance and inertia, might refuse to be directed or disturbed in their crude naturalism. Advancement in sanitation had been unequal among the Colonies, but, all through, progress was being made. To discover the direction in which future advancement lay, it behoved sanitary reformers to see clearly tbat sanitary science must co-operate with the spirit of the age. Legislative authority was eagerly grasped at as (the way out of many difficulties, but a just conception of the spirit of the times made it clear that not only legislation, but the higher sanction of popular conviction was required. The dead wall which withstood sanitary progress was ignorance and its attendant inertia, which enveloped legislators, Boards of Health and people alike. The spirit of the times was the diffusion of knowledge amongst the people, and the birth, through this means, of social and political advancement. The communities of the Southern Hemisphere were self-controlling and ready to resent what they regarded as interference with the rights of the individual. Therefore, all social progress which had its root in legislative enactment, such as sanitation, must be preceded by the enlightenment of the people. The two lineß on which the ideas of the people, so far as sanitation was concerned, should be made to run, were the regarding of society as an organic whole, and to obtain intelligent notions of natural sanitary laws. Society had a life of its own., which was yet dependent on the health and vigour of its individual members. This was strikingly true of the social body in its sanitary aspects. There were diseases from which men, as individuals living in isolation, would be practically free, but which afflicted them as units in close social relations. Many of the difficulties which surrounded sanitary legislation, and barred the way to a higher sanitary standard would disappear if the idea of a national life — not limited merely to influences arising out of our modern complex industrial system, but taking in every condition arising out of all phases of the social relationship — gained entrance to the public mind. The second broad line on which reform ehould run was through the instrumentality of the national schools, in which hygiene and sanitation could be taught, as the kindred subjects of elementary physiology, chemistry and physics were already. It must be remembered that early years formed the only period of receptivity to the masses. The knowledge must be imparted to the young, and in as practical and everyday a form as possible. In Victoria, a school book was being prepared on the subjects of hygiene and sanitation. The headings of its chapters were as follow : — 1 Introductory, 2 Air, 3 Food, 4 Drink, 5 Clothing, 6 Dwellings, 7 Water, 8 Excercise, Best, Recreation, 9 Violation of the Laws of Health, 10 Ambulance. This outline was admirable. In a communication to Mr Hartley, Inspector-General of Schools in South Australia and member of an Intercolonial Committee for .preparing school books, he (Dr Campbell) had submitted an outline of elementary lessons which would probably have been adopted had not the Victorian Education Department been first in the field. These lessons were divided into six chapters, viz. : Hygiene, Food, Water, Air, Sanitation and Public Health. He could testify from practical experience to the deep interest children took in ambulance work, the subject of a practical chapter added to the Victorian book.

Dr Thomas proposed a vote of thanks to Dr Campbell for the address, with, which he heartily agreed. Though the Ambulance Association did something to diffuse a knowledge of the laws of health among the people, we should go further than this, and the work should undoubtedly begin with the young. Dr Arlington Syme (Viotoria) seconded tho motion, remarking that his experience

in sanitary matters in Melbourne bad led him to the conclusions arrived at by Dr Campbell. He thought that the work of the Ambulance Association might be much extended, so as to make the branches practical sanitary centres. In England, popular lectures on such subjects had been largely attended and highly successful.

Mr Brandon, Wellington, pointed out that while the process of education referred to by the President was going on, immediate wants were being lost sight of. It waa the duty of those who were educating the young in this respect to establish a kind of fright amongst our rulers as to the bad result 3of insanitary conditions. Dr Hacon said that if people showed their legislators that they wanted sanitary reform and were in earnest about it, they would get it. What had been done in ambulance work hitherto was but a beginning, and nothing compared with what would be done in the future. He advocated the establishment in New Zealand of branches of the National Health Society, which had done much good in England. Dr Ogston said that sanitary progress here was hindered by the state of the law, which provided that local health officers were to be elected and removed by local Committees. In England, though appointed by the local authorities, they were not removable by them, and this was as it should be. We must educate our public officials and the people, and the way to do this was to show them that it was far cheaper to keep diseases away than to treat them afterwards. Another obstacle in the way of. sanitary reform was the number of little townships surrounding the large towns ; these spent in town clerks and other officials enough money to maintain an efficient sanitary staff and system of control for the whole area.

Dr de Zouche said that we should educate our young people, and if we could not educate our legislators, we should bring pressure to bear on them and force them to do what was right iv the matter of sanitation.

The vote of thanks was carried, and the section adjourned.

MISCELLANEOUS,

Section B, Chemistry, met at 11.30 a.m., when the address prepared by the President, Professor Masson, M.A., D. Sc, Professor of Chemistry at the Melbourne University, was read by Mr G. Gray, F.C.S. The address dealt with "The Gaseous Theory of Solution." Professor Haswell, of Sydney, delivered the Presidential address of Section D, Biology, at 2 p.m. The attendance was large. The Professor dealt with recent biological theories.

There was a large attendance in the rooms of Section G, Anthropology, at 3 p.m. Mr Edward Tregear, F.R.G.S., of Wellington, Vice-President, occupied the chair in the absence of the President, Mr A. W. Howitt, whose address on " Ceremonies of Initiation in the Australian Tribes," was read by the Secretary, Mr A. Hamilton. The address described the curious rites with which the young men of the tribes were admitted to the privileges and responsibilities of manhood. He attributed the good qualities of the Blacks of a former generation to the principles instilled into them in these mysteries, qualities which, unfortunately, the younger men do net possess.

At 3 p.m. Mr R. J. Scott, A.M.1.C.E., read the Presidential address for Section J, Engineering and Architecture, prepared by Mr J. Sulraan, F.E.1.8.A., of Sydney, who was unable to attend. The subject was the architecture of towns.