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MALCOLM MORRIS INDEMNITY FUND.
189 and succeeded, in spite of poverty and every obstacle, in qualifying himself as a Doctor in Medicine at Brussels. METROPOLITAN HOSPITAL SUNDAY FUND. Here he has practised ever since. In spite of his position as WE have been favoured by the Chief Rabbi with a list physician to one of the largest hospitals in Brussels, he has
forgotten that he is a workman’s son, and lie has ceased to devote himself to the interests of the working classes. Hence when the working-class interest of Belgium obtains voice, it is generally Dr. C1t’sar de Paepe who is their representative. On this occasion lie proposed that the Legislatures of all countries should combine to prohibit the use in factories of toxic substances, such as lead and phosphorus, when these could be replaced by non-injurious materials. Where the use of poisonous materials was inevitable, then the industry should be subject to very strict protective regulations. He did not hesitate to qualify as murderous-morally murderousthe employment of a substance which was poisonous when it could easily be replaced by some other material which, though perhaps a trifle dearer, would answer the purpose just as well. As all these reforms and remedies were to be of an international character, and the labour parties of each country were to press them upon their respective Governments, and make these Governments come together and agree on a general assimilation of labour laws, Dr. de Paepe urged that international inspectors should be appointed. If an abuse was abolished in another country, it was sure to reappear on the other side of the frontier. This is true enough. Thus, in one country the use of salicylic acid for the preservation of beer is abolished, but it is largely used in another. Thus also, while toys made in one country are dear, but free from poisonous paints, toys made in another are cheap and not so innocuous. As for the difficulty of applying internationally laws of this description, there already existed international laws relating to fishing rights; and surely, if it was possible to control fishing smacks sailing over the broad seas, it was more easy to watch over workshops and factories that remained perfectly still on dry land. With regard to the prevention of low wages, the working of long hours, the subcontracting or sweating system, the Congress was strongly of opinion that, as a first step, the State and municipalities should give no contract, make no concession, allow of no enterprise where their sanction was necessary, unless the persons concerned pledged themselves to pay proper wages, and to avoid long hours of work and employment of sweaters. Such were the resolutions adopted by this Congress that bear, directly or indirectly, on the preservation of public health. Many other things were said, many other resolutions voted, of a political character, which doubtless will not be so generally approved. To pronounce the theories propounded as subversive, to attack them, to stigmatise them, has, however, nothing to do with the fact that every sanitary reformer should fully understand that this Congress represents a great and growing power, a power for good or for evil, but still a power. This power, the intelligent labour organisations of Europe and America, will now systematically seek to force forward measures based on the ideas and principles enunciated above. Such a fact cannot be passed in silence, for it will influence very considerably politics in general, and in particular that special class of politics or legislation which bears on public health questions. I have described the Congresses on the Housing of the Poor and on Factory Legislation, held at the Exhibition under Government patronage and extensively advertised. At these Congresses any body was admitted, and yet there were never a hundred persons present. At the International Workers’ Congress there was no Government patronage, no hall gratuitously provided, none could attend who were not elected, the credentials were submitted to the strictest scrutiny, and yet there were 613 delegates present. This difference is surely significant, particularly when we find that there was at the same time another Congress held in Paris where similar views were enunciated so far as factory legislation and kindred subjects bearing on sanitation are concerned. This second Congress had not the same representative character, the delegates were not nearly so numerous, their credentials were not so strictly examined, but it possessed an imposing delegation of German workmen, and the fact that the Germans also agree to such international legislation on labour is an important addition to make to the list of the forces arrayed to obtain reform in this direction. Paris, July 22nd. never never
of the contributions to the Fund made in the various synagogues of the metropolis. The largest amounts were as follows :-
MALCOLM MORRIS INDEMNITY FUND. THE followingadditional have been received :-
Public Health
subscriptions
and
to the above fund
Poor Law.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT. REPORTS OF INSPECTORS OF THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD.
.Er2terie Fever at Mythorlmroyd, by Dr. PAGE.—This. inquiry elicited a very curious instance of confusion in sanitary administration. Mytholmroyd, a well-to-do and thriving little community in the West Riding of Yorkshire,. lies at the meeting point of four separate sanitary districts in a portion of each of which it is situated. Thus it is in the Todmorden rural; the Hebden Bridge urban, the Sowerby urban, and the Midgley urban districts; its population being. 2270 in upwards of 500 inhabited houses. The result of this division of jurisdiction was very marked in connexion with the prevalence of disease in question; and in view of
the fact that the local officials were themselves sometimesa loss to say in which district a certain locality was. situated, much difficulty was necessarily encountered in properly allotting instances of disease and mortality. Even the medical officers of health, who are complimented for their services in dealing with the prevailing outbreak, had difficulty in supplying statistical material; and it is mainly to Mr. J. H. Thompson, a resident medical practitioner" that Dr. Page was indebted for some of his information. According to him, enteric fever has been more or less prevalent in the village for the past eleven years; and during the winter of 1885-86 he observed over fifty cases of diarrhœa with typhoid svmptoms. Indeed, when the material came to be collected it appeared that in this small community there were during 1887-88 no less than
at
ninety-five cases of enteric fever, the large body of which occurred during the months of August, September, and October. Indeed, the disease is properly spoken of as being endemic in the village. In August and September, 1887,
forgotten that he is a workman’s son, and lie has ceased to devote himself to the interests of the working classes. Hence when the working-class interest of Belgium obtains voice, it is generally Dr. C1t’sar de Paepe who is their representative. On this occasion lie proposed that the Legislatures of all countries should combine to prohibit the use in factories of toxic substances, such as lead and phosphorus, when these could be replaced by non-injurious materials. Where the use of poisonous materials was inevitable, then the industry should be subject to very strict protective regulations. He did not hesitate to qualify as murderous-morally murderousthe employment of a substance which was poisonous when it could easily be replaced by some other material which, though perhaps a trifle dearer, would answer the purpose just as well. As all these reforms and remedies were to be of an international character, and the labour parties of each country were to press them upon their respective Governments, and make these Governments come together and agree on a general assimilation of labour laws, Dr. de Paepe urged that international inspectors should be appointed. If an abuse was abolished in another country, it was sure to reappear on the other side of the frontier. This is true enough. Thus, in one country the use of salicylic acid for the preservation of beer is abolished, but it is largely used in another. Thus also, while toys made in one country are dear, but free from poisonous paints, toys made in another are cheap and not so innocuous. As for the difficulty of applying internationally laws of this description, there already existed international laws relating to fishing rights; and surely, if it was possible to control fishing smacks sailing over the broad seas, it was more easy to watch over workshops and factories that remained perfectly still on dry land. With regard to the prevention of low wages, the working of long hours, the subcontracting or sweating system, the Congress was strongly of opinion that, as a first step, the State and municipalities should give no contract, make no concession, allow of no enterprise where their sanction was necessary, unless the persons concerned pledged themselves to pay proper wages, and to avoid long hours of work and employment of sweaters. Such were the resolutions adopted by this Congress that bear, directly or indirectly, on the preservation of public health. Many other things were said, many other resolutions voted, of a political character, which doubtless will not be so generally approved. To pronounce the theories propounded as subversive, to attack them, to stigmatise them, has, however, nothing to do with the fact that every sanitary reformer should fully understand that this Congress represents a great and growing power, a power for good or for evil, but still a power. This power, the intelligent labour organisations of Europe and America, will now systematically seek to force forward measures based on the ideas and principles enunciated above. Such a fact cannot be passed in silence, for it will influence very considerably politics in general, and in particular that special class of politics or legislation which bears on public health questions. I have described the Congresses on the Housing of the Poor and on Factory Legislation, held at the Exhibition under Government patronage and extensively advertised. At these Congresses any body was admitted, and yet there were never a hundred persons present. At the International Workers’ Congress there was no Government patronage, no hall gratuitously provided, none could attend who were not elected, the credentials were submitted to the strictest scrutiny, and yet there were 613 delegates present. This difference is surely significant, particularly when we find that there was at the same time another Congress held in Paris where similar views were enunciated so far as factory legislation and kindred subjects bearing on sanitation are concerned. This second Congress had not the same representative character, the delegates were not nearly so numerous, their credentials were not so strictly examined, but it possessed an imposing delegation of German workmen, and the fact that the Germans also agree to such international legislation on labour is an important addition to make to the list of the forces arrayed to obtain reform in this direction. Paris, July 22nd. never never
of the contributions to the Fund made in the various synagogues of the metropolis. The largest amounts were as follows :-
MALCOLM MORRIS INDEMNITY FUND. THE followingadditional have been received :-
Public Health
subscriptions
and
to the above fund
Poor Law.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT. REPORTS OF INSPECTORS OF THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD.
.Er2terie Fever at Mythorlmroyd, by Dr. PAGE.—This. inquiry elicited a very curious instance of confusion in sanitary administration. Mytholmroyd, a well-to-do and thriving little community in the West Riding of Yorkshire,. lies at the meeting point of four separate sanitary districts in a portion of each of which it is situated. Thus it is in the Todmorden rural; the Hebden Bridge urban, the Sowerby urban, and the Midgley urban districts; its population being. 2270 in upwards of 500 inhabited houses. The result of this division of jurisdiction was very marked in connexion with the prevalence of disease in question; and in view of
the fact that the local officials were themselves sometimesa loss to say in which district a certain locality was. situated, much difficulty was necessarily encountered in properly allotting instances of disease and mortality. Even the medical officers of health, who are complimented for their services in dealing with the prevailing outbreak, had difficulty in supplying statistical material; and it is mainly to Mr. J. H. Thompson, a resident medical practitioner" that Dr. Page was indebted for some of his information. According to him, enteric fever has been more or less prevalent in the village for the past eleven years; and during the winter of 1885-86 he observed over fifty cases of diarrhœa with typhoid svmptoms. Indeed, when the material came to be collected it appeared that in this small community there were during 1887-88 no less than
at
ninety-five cases of enteric fever, the large body of which occurred during the months of August, September, and October. Indeed, the disease is properly spoken of as being endemic in the village. In August and September, 1887,