The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-05-20

This group is controllable in the strictest sense
OF the word and need not exist at all. and 10 10
tne autnor devotes the greater part of his book.
we learn that these disorders, mainly errors of
social life, may be conveniently subdiyjded
into those which are due to an excess of labor
or excitement; those which arise from the
action OF agents taken into the body; thoa
springng from particular habits and Gus
toms; and finally, those which are referable to
the communion of the healthy and the dis.
eased. All these topics are handled in . mas.
terly manner, and the most critical will hardly
hnd it In his heart to point out flaw In
work so nearly perfect. We could wish, how.
ever, that the author had given some recogni.
ton to the labors of Anstie In the chapters on
alcohol, though the practical lessons which are
drawn in this connt cton meet our warm COM
mendation. The eandor of DR.. Richardson is
well illustrated in his treatment of tobacco.
He is a firm and consistent opponent of the
fragrant weed, and yet one finds nothing Of
the rancorous disposition the intolerant zeal,
the blind fsnaticism which are generally dis.
played by anti-tobacco writers. George Trask,
who mistook ardor for argument, and who
never could see that poor reason weake ned
the impression of previous good one, would
die OF rage (were he not already happily dead)
to hear man of Richardson's authority de-
clare that cancer, consumption and other NOR.
tai distempers are not only not generally but
never caused by the use of tobacco. And jet,
a case is made out against smoking, chewing,
and snutting which will convince any fair
minded user of tobacco of the ipjuriousness of
his course.
There are scores of absorbiDgly interesting
passages in the book which we would like to
quote, but limited space forbids. We must be
content, therefore, to most cordially recon-
mend it to the attention of all who do not con-
slider it sinful labor to seek physical cause
for disease, who are not unwilling to admit
that they may bear some personal RESPONSE
bility in the ailments of their children and
themselves, and that the Visitation of Cod
theory of disease is less an expression of piety
than Of criminal ignorance or careless BIAS
phemy FHG.
FILTH DISEASES AND THKIR PREVENTION. By
John Simon, NJ. D., &c. Boston: John Campbell.
For sale by Loring, Short & Harmon. ti
This little volume was originally offere as a
preface to a collection of reports made by gov
ernment inspectors upon several epidemics
which had occurred in various parts Of EGG
land Its author has long been chief medical
officer of the privy council and of the local
government board of Great Britain, and is uni
versally acknowledged to be one Of the high
est authorities on hygienic subjects. He
shows conclusively that very much disease is
preventable, and that cleanliness-especially,
such a degree of it as would be recognized BY
the average man or woman as flth-is the
chief of its removable causes. The methods by
which filth acts, the ways of preventing it, and
the responsibility of individuals and communi-
ties in this connection are clearly and forcibly
pointed out. An appendix contains numerous
illustrations of circumstances in which typhoid
fever and other diseases spriDging from filth
are commonly found to be prevalent
Nothing could be more admirable than this
assault upon the cause of a class Of diseases
by which every year tens of thousands of lives
are destroyed. So highly was this essay re-
garded by the State Board of Health Of Massa-
chusetts, that it has had the book printed un-
der its direction, prefaced with letter to the
citizens of the commonwealth urging their
careful perusal of the work. Ger tain it is that,
If every householder would live up to the not
difficult rules which are here explained, an
enormous amount of suffering would be saved
and large number ofilves in every community
prolonged and made far more happy. We
wish that the people OF Maine would all read
this essay. They woald then appreciate, %
most do not now, the absolute necessity of an
efficient governmental supervision and control
of many now neglected sanitary affairs, and
the next legislature would not, like the last
pass lightly over the petition for State Board
of Health for Maine, nor regard it as a costly
experiment in the sole interest of the doctors.
There are one OF two suggestions which we
are moved to make. The first is that the book
be issued in cheaper form. Doubtless large
edition will be worked off as it Is, for the
masses are beginning to wake up to the desira-
bility of observing hygienic laws. But there is
large class of intelligent men who want to
know just the things which this book contains,
and yet are OBJ iged to think that dollar is Q
big price for duodecimo of less than a hun
dred pages. 1t is just as important for these
people to know how to preserve their health as
for the more wealthy-indeed, more so as they
are much more numerous. Now, the use of 0
lighter. less expensive paper, aud the substitu-
ton of stiff paper covers for the cloth would
make a sufficiently attractive and durable book,
which might be afforded at less than half the
price, and still leave a margin for good profit.
Another suggestion is that, on the slip which
is inserted before the title page. the authors
name be not prolonged by a terminal s; for,
though he is admitted to be host in himself,
he probably does not feel grateful for the plur-
al appellation. II. 81. G.