The Progress., 1889-03-02
EFFECT OF CITY LIFE.
The General Physical Deterioration d
...5 Town Populations.

Ine Generat Phys1cal DeCer1OraG1On9 Oh
Town Populations.
It is generally recognized that the
effect Of town life upon the physique
is not beneficial, and as the population
of boroughs has now exceeded that Of
the country, the fact becomes one
worthy of our attention. The great
and rapid increase Of large towns at
the present time adds to the innpol-
tance of the subject and deepens lis
gravity. OF old there were but few
large towns in our Md srn sense of "a
large town; but Lugol, the great
French authority on ..scrofula, s noted
how the population of Paris deterior-
ated and how scroful ous were tlle
third generations Of persons whto cant y
in from the country perfectly healthy.
Other observers have noticed the bal
effect Of town life elsewhere. And The
recent researches of MI. james
Camille have demonstrated the rarity
Of a pure-br Cockney Of tic fourth
generation. Oh old tie Baron lived
in his castle. while the populace lived
around in villages of imitel size. For
men Of all conditions of life the one
thing to be coveted above all Others
was physical prowess. For work, fol
war, for games. which were largely
mimic war, bodily strength was essen
tial. No courage. no skill. could ef-
fec.ually compensate for the want
OF thews and sineWs. Work, war,
sports. revels, all, too, were conducted
in the open all. Bit civilization
brought about changes profoundly in
flencing the life of the individual.
The development Of commerce Ell.
tailed the growth of towns, and then Il
was found that in the new struggle for
existence the battle went rather to the
man with the active brain than to tile
man with a massive framework. The
active brain became now the one
great thing TO be coveted, rather than
physical proWess. The tendency oi
town populations is to dwindle. and
this dwindling is seen markedly il,
The feeble digestive capacity of town
jewellers. They can not eat the pas
try. the piecrust, the cakes, whicl,
form SO large a portion Of the dietary
OF their country cousins. If they at
tempt these articles Of food they give
themselves the stomach-ache. Conse-
| quently they live on such food As
they can digest without sufferin -
bread, and fish. and meat; above all
the last-the sapid tasty flesh Of ami
mails, which sits lightly on thg
stomach and gives an acceptable feel
ing OF safety, so pleasant to expert
ence- The town-lwelfer, in his selec.
ton OF food, is guided by his feelings;
he avoids what is repugnant to him.
Such selection is natural and intel
ligible, but it is fraught with danger
all the same. Pulmonary philrisis 5
and Bright's disease seem Dame Nat
ure's means of wedding out deoener-
ating town dwellers. The offspring
Of urban residents are another race
from their cousins who remain in the
country. The latter are large-limbed
sta1wart, fair haired Anglo-Danes
while their urban cousins are smaller.
slighter, darker beings, OF an earlier,
and lowlier ethnic form, and resens-
bling the Celto-Iberian race. Aud
amid this general revelslon we can
recognize a distinct liver-revrrsion "a
the early primitive nric acid formation
'f the bird and reptile. A recognition
of these facts must lead to such no IT,
ications Of the food customs of town
'lwellers as are ind;cate:l. The spread
OF teetotalism and vegetarianisn tells
Of q dark cropping in the right ,lirec-
tion in blind obedience to the law 81
MISREPRESENTATION. There must ais,
follow some modification of he existing
system of education, for it is by the
llmperfecty-nourished town child that
The weight Of the burden Of education
IS most acutely felt. - S ,ta,,naarY of a
paper By Dr. TotherqiA, IN Nature.
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