The Express.
London, England, 1866-08-30 00:00:00

THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION. 1

PROM 00111 OWN REPORTM)

NOTTINGHAM, WI:MUM!.
Though Wednesday is not usually a " sectional.'
day, several of the departments met for the purpose
of disposing of the overflow of papers from day
before.

Simon D.—PHYSIOLOGY.
•
In this section. Dr. Rieninneon read a paper " On the
oomparative vitality of the Jewish end races."
After giving the statistics of the Jewish and Christian
mom, he said—We sae a race living through centuries,
often under great privations, intermarrying and taking in
no new blood, and yet showing a higher vitality than the
freest peoples. Why is this! Is it from race, manner, cus-
tom? To quote IL Baudin, " Here is • race which counts
less niaritsges, produces a lesser number of children, who
knows better how to preserve them, has leis still-born,
more old people, less suicide, a larger average duration
of life ; them attributes, from the value of which I do
not intend to detract, are they the signs of • con-
genial superiority of organisation, of a more energetic
vis visit", or are they exclusively an advantage of race ?"
Or to quote another author, Dardsch, "The Jews prove to
en that human life acquires more tenacity by trouble and
Dour, provided that the work be not of a nature to break
the spint, and paralyse the spontaneity. The majority,
indeed, in almost every part of Germany, may be consi-
dered poor, and yet their mortality is less than that
of the Christians (1 in 48 Jews, and 1 in 24 Chris-
tine' at Breslan)." If we seek for information re-
aoeotlnj question from the learned statician Lifigt
we find him impressing the following. :—" Married
ei an earlier age than the Christians they enjoy longer the
ionesreative influence of matrimony, statistics having de-
monstrated the injuries of celibacy as concerns duration of
life The fecundity of their marriages being lees they rear
their children more successfully. Until now they have
T followed any profession requiring hard labour. They
attach themselves in preference to commerce,
banking, the arts, sciences, literature, and
public offices. Not only is their sobriety un-
deniable, by their alimentary prohibitions conduce to
hygiene. Family affection, developed more fully among
them than among Christians, insures a more watchful care
to children and aged and infirm parents, natural food to
the new-born infant, and a more efficacious assistance to
the poor. Their charity was unequalled ; their morality is
demonstrated by judicial statistic,' ; firmness and serenity
of mind are the most prominent points in their cha-
motor, and proceed from • profound faith and unalterable
confidence in Providence." (Cheers.) Dr. Richardsou's
Own views on the whole question were thus stated. The
Jews, springing originally from • healthy but not by any
means grandly developed human standard, have retained
their primitive advantages solely by the force of sur-
rounding conditions. He illustrated that under inter-mar-
rime' a race does not deteriorate ; they show on the other
hand that a race does not, under the same influence,
physically advance. Isolated, perfume, from the corny u-
nities amongst which they have been thrown, they have
camped, by necessity, the destructive vices of the peoples
of other faiths. The sensual luxury of the Mohammedan
and the prodigal luxury of the Christians have been to them
always unknown. Theirresolution has saved end still saves
their children frost the contraction of the various epidemic
diseases, whilst the same isolation largely preserves their
male* from other infections equally dangerous, and in the
result more destructive. Above all, from their frugal and
provident habits they have been throughout all their trials
preserved from personal worry, they have not courted black
care nor cultivated broken heart. The maxim," Let user ;and
drink, for to-morrow we die," has been to them a warning
not • practise, and whilst their neighbours have spent
their whole means, and have with despair looked on the
next sun, the Jew has seen in the same means the rise of
many suns, and felt that to him they could not shine to
destroy. Thus fortified by individual strength, the perse-
attars of the rase have been resolved much by individual
resistance as by general diffusion : the whole fabric of the
race rating upon the perfect integrity of its parts. These
are the true lessons taught by this history. He (Dr. Richard-
set) could see is the history no evidence fostering any
traditional superstitions. He saw in it no evidence of great
physical or mental vitality on the part of this people, he
could see in it no marvellous wisdom or influence of epe-
e& hygienic law. That which he saw was the favourable
existence of a people who by nature are temperate, pro-
vident, and faithful, and who by necessity have been driven
to pursue those virtues • and what he learned was that
Christians and Mohammedans, before they upraised their
own systems so high above the Jewish, should first
engraft on their own systems those principles by which
the Jew has been sustained with such vital steadiness and
force from generation to generation.
The Rev. Mr. CAIRNS remarked that during the present
outbreak of cholera in London Jews had escaped from the
epidemic, although living in the midst of Christians who
had died from it. He attributed this to their general
temperance.
Dr. Canes thought, in opposition to Dr. Richardson,
that the circumstances mentioned as being peculiar to the
Jewish race were to be attributed to the special influence
of a Providential arrangement.
Dr. B. W. FOSTER considered that the small mortality
among the children of the Jews and the few suicides
amongst this people, were due to the fact that want was
almost unknown to them, from the excellence and
effectiveness of their charities. He also stated that the
surgical operations upon Jews in the Queen's Hospital,
Birmingham, were followed by much better results than
similar operations among Christians. This was owing to
•their greater vitality.
Dr. RICHARDSON said that at the last outbreak of cholera
In London the Jews had a remarkable immunity from the
disease, but this time they had not escaped, for it was
stated in the J•wisA Chronicle that there had been 25 fatal
eases among them. These, however, almost occurred in •
cluster, and might be attributed to some special circum-
stance. With regard to drunkenness, ths Jews escaped
this vice more than any other race. They were the most
'temperate of all peoples. He understood that their chil-
dren did not drink sine until they were received into the
synagogue, and then it was only a light description of
wine.
A Jewish gentleman observed that he thought there
was very little foundation for that statement.
Dr. RICHARDSON thought that as a rule the Jews took
very little wine. He did not know whether as • rule they
socked much, but as fax as he had seen they smoked like
chimneys. (Laughter.)
. Dr. RONFRY, the president, said that in spite of inter-
marriage the Jews were a long-lived and healthy race, and
this was owing mainly to their great temperance, and the
care they bestowed on the management of their children.
Dr. SISSON thought he could trace their great vitality
to the absence of disease among their children. and to their
homes not being so overcrowded, as was the case with other
portions of the population.
Dr. B. W. FOOTS& DMA a paper " On an addition to
the Sphygmograph," an ingenious mechanical cot tri-
mace, invented by Morey, • Frenchman, for ascer-
taining the strengh and regularity of the pulse. After a
short sketch of the application of the self-registering prin-
ciple to the investigation of the movement of the blood
in the arteries, he demonstrated the use of the in-
strument, and pointed out the indications to
be gathered from • study of the page trace.
He then explained how variations in the pressure exerted
on the artery under examination caused differences in the
form of the pulse trace, and stated how, from his ex-
perience, the pressure may be rendered as nearly as pm-
sible the same in any two observations, by the addition
of an index to the pressure sere sr, and by describing •
circle accurately graduated round this regulating screw.
Dr. Foster exemplified the mode of using the instrument
upon the wrist of one of the vice-presidents of the section.
This terminated the business of the session, and in reply
to a vote of thanks, the President expressed a hope tha;
they would all meet again next year at Dundee.
&cried( 8.--GEOGRAPHY.
Here Mr. Wane, of Newdead, gave some results of the
researches of Dr. Livingstone in Africa, with remarks on
the character of the negro races of that region, the argu-
ment being that with proper treatment negro." would
make excellent 'eremite.
Sir Sxscat. Bekaa, speaking of the negro, said he did
sot wish to present him blacker than he was, but he did
not believe 1111 could ever become Speaker of the House of
Commons or Archbishop of Canterbury. In his purely
emir state the African was the most improvident and
unthoughtful of human beings. He found then living in
marshes ; so attenuated in frame that they seemed
like thin slate pencils topped with shocks of hair. Those
living further Inland were superior to those in the
marshes. They worked in iron and made weapons, while
the ladies wore skirts of mail. They were believers in
magic. Sir Samuel proceeded in an admirably droll vein
to tell a series of anecdotes of the character of those
above stated. The section was finally closed at an early
hour.

F.—BCONONIC SCIENCE AND STATISTICS.
The section met this morning to dispose of papers yet
unread. The first paper read was one by the Rev. C.
SRWSLL, " On Hindrances to Success of Popular Educa-
tion." These, it stated, were of two sorts—those which
arise on the aide of the teacher, and those which arise
41111 the side of the taight. After a review of
the history of national education in this country, and a
statement that organisation for giving primary
education was now as complete as in that of any
foreign country, the paper 'dated that the
system, was not in rfect working order, the
assistance of the state not being bailed on the principles
which had been so successful in Prussia and Holland the
principle here being that popular education should cost as
little as possible, which would be perfectly right if it were
backed up by an equal desire and determination that edu-
cation should be popular in every sense of the term. The
time had probably not yet come for subordinating all
organisation for popular instruction to the secular authority
of the state, the opposition of religious orders would stave
off the necessity for such a course ; but the setting up of
such an authority, if it could be accomplished, would
remove one at least, if not the main hindrance to the suc-
cess of popular education.
Yr. Tnestrrr read a paper "On the Violation of the
Principles of Economic Science caused by the Law of Dis-
traint for Rent," the argument of which was, that the law
placed so great an authority in the hands of landlords that
they did sot exercise the neeessary caution in selecting