SHADOWY DEGREES.

395 and definite periods into the country. Why, then, should our stituting an intelligent supervision of children lefc at home, and restricting the traffic in narcotics, which is the bane of mews at the West-end, and analogous places in poor neighbe summer violate both health allowed the to bourhoods, during SHADOWY DEGREES. and decency ? Whilst our sanitary officers have over and over again drawn attention to the subject, which not anyone of the MR. SoUTHEY expresses great admiration for the sentiment least sense of what is needful can but feel is demanding inter- of an anonymous author : The shows of things are better than themselves :’ ference, it is with surprise that we receive the information that a That sentence well expresses the permanence of many of the had waited the Chief Commissioners of upon deputation of mortality, idols of the painter’s, poet’s, and Works, consisting of Alderman SALOMONS and others, for the presentations art-a sculptor’s permanency which so strongly contrasts with purpose of opposing the wholesome proposition, that for the the mutability of the fleeting generations of men that we may future some plan should be arranged for the regular removal of often be tempted in their presence to entertain the feeling that the refuse in question, and for the prevention of those accumulathey are the realities and we the shadows." The phrase, so tions which spread such an unhealthy influence over the places tempting in its pseudo-mysticism to minds of Germanic tenaround. We do not happen to know the grounds upon which dency, is susceptible, however, of some dangerous applications; and amongst those against which we most energetically protest so sensible and necessary a sanitary reform was opposed by our civic wiseacres, but whatever they were, we may venture to is its adaptation to medical degrees of German universities. A announces an addition to the shadowy list of say they must have been as immoderately ignorant as they were in absentia" by German universities. It is granted selfish. that of the University of Rostock, in Mecklenburgh-Schwerin. An individual, professing to be the correspondent of the University of Rostock, boasting 250 members, now circulates, in strict confidence of course, a printed tariff amongst those who reply to his advertisements, in which the university is described as dating from the fifteenth century; the fee for M.D. .. Ne quid nimis:’ is X30 3s., entrance ae33s., and diploma .627. Half the fellows who make pretence of selling German degrees are mere HEALTH AND WEALTH. swindlers. We know nothing of the University of Rostock; THE paper of Mr. Purdy at the British Association, on the but the sooner its authorities, if there be any, repudiate the recent diminution of mortality coincident with increase of present vending of titles in their name the better. pauperism at Rochdale, created unnecessary but not inexplicable surprise. One speaker protested that it was a paradox; EARLY MARRIAGES. and another, that such facts ought to be suppressed at the preFROM the interesting figures which Mr. Hermann Merivale sent time, for they were calculated to check the flow of charity. has collected concerning the population of France, we may The fact is that these results must be explained by a reference draw some good illustrations of the importance of early marto the very various nature of disease and the multiplicity of riages to the well-being of the individual and for the progresthe avenues by which death enters. sive strength of the nation. The rate of mortality in France " Of indolence, of toil has not increased since the beginning of this century ; the We die; of want, of superfluity. number of marriages has not diminished, it has remained staThe all-surrounding heaven, the vital air, Is big with death :’ tionary. Nevertheless the population of France has remained Amid all the signs of increasing distress, while the pauper- stationary, while our own has enormously increased. The lists of Lancashire have swelled to a portentous size, the health " prudential check" on births has operated through later marof the total population has not shown any corresponding dete- riages, owing to the want of outlet for population by emigrarioration. The barometers of health and wealth show no tion. The result of this tendency to late marriages in France parallelism, but a wide divergence. We will not here recapi- is, that the average fecundity of such unions is far below that tulate the figures, but they show that in no place has the in this country, and is steadily but slowly diminishing. Here increase in mortality kept pace with the growing poverty; the annual rate of fertility may be represented by 4’5. In while in some, health has actually improved. These observa- France it has been, in 1822-31, 3-64; 1832-41, 3-4; 1842-51, tions are open to the objection of being somewhat partial and 3-19 ; in 1855 it had fallen to 2 96 ; in 1856 it rose to 3-11. temporary; and it is likely that continued trials would give Nothing can bring out more clearly the unnatural and deteriovery different results. But the lesson for a temporary and com- rating influence of late marriages. Every physiologist and pensating improvement in the death-rate is pretty obvious. The every physician knows that in proportion as advanced age opemothers who work in the mills sell, as Mr. Simon has said, not rates to limit the number, so also does it affect the developonly their honest labour, but their infants’ lives. The children ment and force of the children. The scanty offspring of late very commonly are left under the influence of opiates, drugged, marriages will always, man for man, present a marked infestarved, and neglected, while the mothers are at work. Any riority in physical qualities to the more numerous race springcalamity which removes the mothers from their work to their ing from young and healthy parents. There are accessory children is to the infant a blessing. Then large numbers of conditions engendered by this state of society, this " prudential grown children employed in factories are by the stroke sent check" upon marriages, which increase the evil. The irreguinto the open air; and provided they have plain but not insuf- larities of unmarried youth too often taint the blood and sap the ficient food, such as charity now provides for them, they will force of the procrastinating husband; the irregular unions which improve in health. The same conditions operate favourably abound in France are as notoriously infertile as they are danfor the adults in a less degree. This striking improvement in gerous. In this country, modern habits of luxury threaten to health of a population pauperized, may serve to remind the have an operation only less dangerous because more limited people of Lancashire that a want of money is not necessarily a than the " prudential check" arising in France from an absence want of health; and that in the daily sacrifices to the work-god of outlet by emigration. The figures which we quote afford they offer up the blood of many victims. It is so in Coventry, striking illustrations of its dangers, and should give a fresh jn Nottingham, and in all great industrial centres. Thousands impulse to statesmen and moralists in combating the tendency of victims may be saved by taking the lesson to heart: by in- to late marriages.

childhood.

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contemporary degrees "

Medical Annotations.