THE BRIGHTON HEALTH CONGRESS.

1050 The paper is good, the arrangement of matter is excellent. and the tables, though not exhaustive, are very practical. It is well known to the profession, as it deserves to be.

THE

BRIGHTON HEALTH CONGRESS.

Food in relation to National and Domestic Economy-was opened by an address from the senior member for the borough, J. R. Holland, Esq.; and several papers were read on Food, In Food Reform, Food Preservation, .Dieting of Infants, &c. the evening Dr. Taaffe delivered an address on the Pro. pagation of Disease through Food and Drink. Section C is to meet on Friday, December 16th.

THE

BRIGHTON DOMESTIC AND SCIENTIFIC EXHIBITION.

Brighton Health Congress was opened on Tuesday THE Exhibition was opened by the Earl of Chichester, evening last at the Pavilion, when an address was delivered who was supported by the Mayor of Brighton, the Speaker by the President, Dr. B. W. Richardson, F.R.S. He took of the House of Commons, and many other gentlemen, on for his theme "The Seed-time of Health." Commencing It is held in the Pavilion, and occupies the last. Monday by remarking that among the ancient Greeks the death of Corn and two annexes. The objects shown are Exchange children was a cause of burning shame as well as of grief to in seven classes. Many of them have been entered grouped the parents, he referred to the entire loss of this sense of in former exhibitions, and, especially, we recognised many shame among ourselves, and to the fact that in point of I, things recently on view at the Medical and Sanitary Exhihealth our children in these boasted times are our reproach, ’bition at South Kensington. In Class 1 of Food Products and asked, " Where is there a healthy child? I have never we noticed especially the articles shown by King’s Bread and He pointed to health as the all-in-all to man, Biscuit Company. Wheat, from which the outer siliceous seen one." and argued that unless we make the early life of our children scaly coat has been removed by a process of scraping and rubbing, is granulated between steel rollers into a fine meal, a seed-time of health, all our other measures are practically which, therefore, contains all the nutritious constituents of valueless. The perils to childhood lie classed under the four the grain. From this meal excellent bread and biscuits are heads of the inherited, the accidental, the inflicted, and the made. The bread is soft, light, and quite free from grittiacquired. Among the first group, he included not only those ness or scaliness, and is exceedingly palatable, while it and usually so classed, but also contagious diseases. Among the the biscuits are considerably more valuable as articles of inflicted perils, he spoke chiefly of bad food, and too early and diet than those commonly sold. Mr. King carries out as severe competitive mental and physical labour. " Both clearly as possible the directions of the Bread Reform Assogood in their way in moderate form, mental and physical ciation. Two firms of the name of " Brand " have stalls; the one labours are, in these days, made the bane of the nation......I know nothing so deathly to mind and body as the anxiety from Mayfair has samples of the various concentrated for which it is justly famous. A to complete education within twenty-one years ; when the essences of meats, &c., fact really is that length of life, and length of happy life, Swiss milk company shows what is stated to be pure Swiss depends on the continued cultivation of mental and physical milk without any admixture whatever, preserved in bottles existence beyond all else. He who has ceased to learn, in its liquid state ; and also the same simply condensed; both begins to die." The third of these evils he asserted to be are good. There are manv stalls of mineral waters, among the adding physical to mental scathing, and he protested which we observed that of Messrs. Struve and Co., who show strongly against teaching what is believed to be wrong by not only seltzer water, &c., but also the waters of the chief the instant infliction of physical pain. To eliminate the European and American spas, bottled by them at the spas, inherited perils he strongly urged that hereditary health and also their new drink cerealis, which we have already should be recognised as an element of the marriage contract, commended. Messrs. Challoner and Sons, of Brighton, exhibit and that as the natural tendency of all inherited diseases some excellent mineral waters made from the Brighton waters is towards removal under favouring circumstances, the doubly distilled. They are pure and their names are true young born to peril should be placed in conditions for good descriptions of their composition ; thus the soda-water life. Referring to the scientific knowledge of the contagious actually contains five grains of bicarbonate of soda to the diseases which has enabled us to eliminate some almost bottle, and is not simply aerated water. Dr. Richardson’s entirely-e.g., typhus, he proceeded : °‘ Science, in themain connexion with the scheme has not succeeded in banishing most useful, but sometimes proud, wild and erratic, is lately from the Pavilion all alcoholic beverages, and a few stalls ot proposing a desperate device founded on an hypothesis wines, beers, spirits and liqueurs are met with. clever and specious, but not yet gilded with wisdom or Messrs. Corbyn, Stacey, and Co., in addition to other proof, for the prevention of these infectious perils. She articles, have a new hydrocarbon, which they call " adepprofesses to prevent one peril by setting up another. She sine," and which is shown in its virgin and in its white THE

would inoculate

new

diseases into

our

old stock in the

anticipation that thereby the new diseases will put out the old. This may be called homceopathy on the grand scale ;

and if it goes on we may soon see the ranks of sanitarians divided into two, as we see in medicine the regular and the homoeopathic practitioners. I pray you, be not led away by this new conceit of prevention. This manufacture of spickand-span new diseases is too much to bear the thought of, when we know that perfect purity of life is all-sufficient to I remove what exists without invoking what now is not. doubt, indeed, whether it were not better to continue in our present and imperfect state than venture to make new additions of prophylactic maladies. Let every man and wife be their own sanitarians. Let in the sun; keep out the damp; separate the house from the earth beneath ; connect the house with the air above ;...... let the house cleanse itself of all impurit-es as they are produced; eat no unclean thing ; come back to the first-fruits of the earth for food; drink no impure drink ; wear no impure clothing; do no impure act ; and all the good that science can render you is at your absolute command.’’ Un Wednesday Section A-Health of Towns, including Sanitary Legislation-met, under the presidency of Mr. E. Chadwick, who delivered an address on the Prevention of Epidemics; and several papers were read on Water-supply, the Necessity for Recreation Spaces, Disposal of Sewage, &c. In the evening a soiree was given to the Associates by the Mayor and Mayoress of Brighton. On Thursday Section B--

It much resembles vaseline, but has and is a little firmer; like the other members of this group of bodies, it is tasteless, inodorous, and not poisonous. This firm has manufactured a soap containing the now well-known chaulmoogra oil, which is a simple and pleasant way of applying this remedy. Mr. Hamilton of Brighton shows a very good "siesta" couch and chair, adjustable to any position, and also a portable carrying-chair, consisting of two stout rods bearing a simple canvas seat with plain back—the lightest; simplest, cheapest, and best thing of the kind we know. Messrs. Allen and Hanbury exhibit some good tasteless and odourless castor oil and syrup of hydriodic acid, which is pleasant to the taste, and is stated to be unalterable. As it is of a light colour, any decomposition of the acid would be at once detected by the brown colour of the pure iodine. As this remedy is considered a good form in which to administer iodine, this preparation, which overcomes the difficulty usually met with in dispensing it, is likely to prove of. service. The North of England School Furnishing Company are the manufacturers of all kinds of school appliances, but we were particularly struck with Glendenning’s patent adjustable desk, which can be raised to any suitable height and slides horizontally so as to be drawn as close to the body as desired, being quite firm in any position. Attached to it is a firm wooden chair, with a skilfully shaped back and support for the feet, which secures a comfortable and healthy

decolorised condition. a

higher melting point,