Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-10-21
|HYGIBNIC CONGRESS.
1 Consultation On The Means
Of Saving Life.
What vas Done al the London Session,
RscsntIy Held.
An Interesting Report by Prof. Z. {
Robinson, the Maine Delegate.

4
Robinson, the Maine Delegate.
The September number Of the Sanitary
Inspector contains the report OF Professor
T. C. Robinson Of Bovdoin college, WHO
repre- sentsi the Maine Board of Health at
the Hygienic Congress held in London,
England, from the 10Th to the l7th Of lat
August. Itis q most able, entertaining
and instructive paper, written with that
keen observation, force and direcsness Of
statement always Characteristic Of Pro
fesser Robinson, who revsr fails TO make
the most Of every opportunity for acquiring
| information. In opening he humorous
| ly refers to his own surprise at
the magnitude of the congress. He
had anticipated that it might be email
affair" ard was not . little amazed to fad
nearly 5000 delegates in attendance. Lon
don had just been entertaining the emperor
of Germany: II had Witnessed . season of
military disPlsy and pagesnsry. Ideas OF
1 =
popular display Of military and naval
strength. The Hygienic Congress came to
| consult on means for saving life not TO de-
stroy it. London had in truth. as Prof.
Robinson we'll says. witnessed the sudden
| replacement Of medisevalism BY the spirit
of modern civilization The Prince of
Wales was honorary president Of the Con
gress and opened the session in short and
| sensible address.
"Other short addresses followed. given
by deiegstes from different countries.
These were for the most part nninteresting,
owing to their great similsr.ty in matter
/! ard poor delivery. suppose it was thought
| necessary to give each country chance to
| say something, lest omitted ones feel
| sighted, and there seems to be nothing
abroad which so ransles as slight upon
ones country. Ii seemed strange, how
ever, that there was no epesker from the
United States. suppose they thought her
| too far off to feel sighted il left out. The
Prince introduced each speaker, and did it
very appropriately; in short. he showed
himself an admirable presiding officer "
The work OF the Congress was divided
into sections. Preventive Medicine, Bac-
i teriology. Hygiene Of Infancy and Child |
hood, State Hygiene, Demogrsphy, Health
Statistics, Industrial Hygiene.
In BActeriology no absolutely new prlnci- |
pies were propounded, but old ones were
examined. Neither Pssteur nor X och were
present, but frequent reference we're made |
to each, and their friends at such times
spplsu uded their names after the manner OF
No., % rr4h ~
are nsmed. The questions Of immunity |
from infectious disess- snd 'ha destruction
Of microbes within the BODY were ably |
handled It vas very noticeable how it was
| taken for granted that bacteria sre-respeDsi- |
BILE for many diseases. That question is
settled. How to destroy them is nov the
inquiry aud not only how to destroy |
them but slso ueutrsiize the poison they |
generate Some spimsls. as is we'll known, |
never have certain diseases and cannot
he iuccuiated With them. Thus inocu |
late 8 dog or cat with anthrax virus ard
il will have the disease, but not SO . rat. |
A sheep never has tubercles- Its blood is
in some wsy deadly TO the bacillus which |
causes them Discover the secret of this .
and you cure the disease. IL has been |
gen orally believed by bscteriologists that
the deadly matter was always product of
the microbe Itself, ard Koct's 'useieulin is
prepared on this principle. Bat at this
Congress several men eminent 10 the sci |
ence claimed that certsia ''defensive pto- |
teids" sre gene rated in the blood Of differ
ent animals and thxt by the study and sep
arAtion Of these the best results are to be |
obtained in the cure of microbe diseases.
In section 4, Infancy and Childhood, the |
| subj ct of school hygiene received great |
attention. Indeed, any thing which touched
the school question WAS given csreful con
| sidgration. Public schools in Fog lsnd and |
on the continent are of comparatively re- |
cent growth, thst is, such schools ss are
| oper to poor as we'll a. rich, but they have |
been going long enough for all to see that
they can be- made most powerful agents for |
good to the state. The idea that all that is
| needed for a successfu! school is a room, |
teacher and books, receives little support, |
at least in England And ali
| speakers at the Congress who
| touched upon it, indicated their be
| lief that pure air and attractive rooms and
| suitable mesns of physical exercise are not
simply desirable, but necessary. most
attractive festufe OF one session was = class
| in ply sicsl culture from one Of the London
| board schools. ss their public schools are
called. To an American, and especially to
reader Of Dickens, anything under .
| "board" is regarded with disfavor. He
Immediately thinks Of Oliver Twist and the
| board which dealt with him But An
ACQUAINTANCE with the London school board
soon dispels such idss.. Certainly
| its Chairman, Mr.. J.. r. Diggle, has
| no resemblance to Mr.. LimbkiDs. and
visit to the school board offices on Victoris
| Embankment shows that London has live
public school y stem uader most efficient
management.
A most animated discussion took place
over the question As to where the work OF
the state should stop in dealing with poor
children. Cpon the ground that al i'll fed
ohild cannot be eduoated, some, notably Mrs.
f,esant the "rheosophist," mai1iaioed that
food As well as instruction should be fur
ished in the schools 10 the poorer districts.
Others ss stoutiy argued 'hatsuch belp would
simply make the parents mUre degraded
than at present; ia short, as their oppo-
nents claimed, their position was that poor
children must be allowed to stsrve ss disci-
pIine to rheis fathers and mothers. Ioai-
deosAlly, facts we're brought out, showing
g .ate OF poverty and degradation among
the poor Of Loudon and her English cities
| almost oeyobd peuet
| In the section Of Preventive Medicine
the alcohol question came up Introduced BY
. paper by Sir DJce Duekwor,h, one of
The physicians Of the Royal family. He
spoks Of ''our E1glsnd'si misersh.e na-
lionsl pre-eminence in the abuse Of a'oo-
hoi.' He did not believe that total absti-
d. nee was neoessary but honored those
ho prscticed it. The taking Of any al
coholic liquid except at al
meal and then not more than
an ounce to sn ounce and half 10 ~ hours,
he Condemned. Even this amount he said
wss sometimes hurtfui and orig permissible
| 20 AZ adult. This discussion rss meat sni-
mated, and anyone in the United States
Who fondly believes iha. in Europe there is
The happy condition Of free alcohol Ard no
abuse or attempted interference with TIE
rights" Of the people, shculd have heard
that discussion. The curse all saw A. to
,hs remedy there vas difference of opin-
N. The power ard duty Of the state to
interfere was praeticsily nrquessionsd, and
-ome form Of local option generally adso-
Gated One erthusias,ic American deleaste
claimed that high lceese solved the problem
in bis state. but be was unable to make II
clear just how making . mogoply OF IL
c,uld prevent its abuse, And, like his state
nent that 'the Maine law was q failure,
I il seemed 10 rest on bis own authority, and
to be like some Of the newspapers.
The sermon to the congress by Canon
rarrar in Westminster Abbey was fitting
seems almost inspired ~ be stood under
- "a, 49, sd