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THE RADIUM COMMISSION.
832
A STATIONARY POPULATION.
The success of this experiment is in this law. doubtful, but in a few branches of industry, such as clock-making and the production of small parts for electrical apparatus, it has been signally successful. .Similar experiments have been made in England,
where, of
Annotations. "Ne quid nimis."
compulsion exists, but there are several objections to the plan of allowing blind and A STATIONARY POPULATION. sighted workers to compete with each other, even WE are,’ ’says Sir George Nowman in his annual where that is possible. In ordinary industrial occupaalmost within sight of a stationary tions the output of a blind worker is less than that report for 1928, " and the press and the public seem at population of a competent sighted worker, by an amount variously last to be taking notice of a prospect of which they course, no
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"
estimated as 25 to 66 per cent., and in order that the by Prof. former may earn a living wage additional payments haveL.been assured for the last ten yearsand other Bowley, Prof. Raymond Pearl, known as augmentation are made to him in most A. this was The of statisticians. country population funds. countries, either from State or from voluntary 9 millions in 1800,18 millions in 1850, 32 millions a,bout Numerically larger is the problem of the unemployable in 1900, 36 millions in 1910, and 40 millions now. blind. In most countries it is dealt with by the the nineteenth century was The increase poor-law organisation. In America the practice unprecedented ;during from about 5 millions in 1600 the varies in the several States. In Great Britain, under 6 millions the Blind Persons Act, the certified blind receive number of the people slowly grew to some their old age pensions at the age of 50, and by the in 1700, and we have every reason to suppose that Local Government Act of 1929 the local authorities we are now returning to the almost stationary conElderly and will have power to grant relief to poor blind persons dition of the seventeenth century. under 50, apart from the poor-law. All these services middle-aged people to-day were brought up in an involve a great expenditure. In England and Wales atmosphere of rapid increase and universal expansion it was estimated to amount to z31,250,000 in 1924-25, derived from their own experience of what was going of which 2420,000 was contributed by voluntary on around them and from the literature of the societies and the balance partly by the State and preceding generation. What was to them the obvious fact that there were yearly more and more people, partly by local authorities. The sixtieth report of the National Institute for that towns were ever growing larger, that more and the Blind gives an encouraging summary of the more public buildings were needed necessarily coloured whole outlook on life, and their attitude towards position of the blind, so far as England is concerned. their The work of the Institute is threefold: first, the social questions which has been passed on to those young has much the same comorganisation and allocation of charitable funds so as who are atIt present will need’something of a mental conto avoid waste and overlapping ; secondly, under- plexion. to realise in all its implications that no further takings directly for the benefit of the blind-the vulsion considerable increase of population is to be anticipated, and music in of books the Braille publication type, And it is or hoped for, as the case may be. provision of homes for blind babies (the recent fire feared, at Chorley Wood Sunshine House necessitated moving difficult to see quite plainly what the change will the children into Devon pending the rebuilding), the involve though it is obviously of extraordinary maintenance of various other schools, homes, and importance. Sanitarians will be concerned with migrations of hostels-personal services to the blind, including the rather than with changes in total numbers. populations distribution of wireless sets ; and thirdly, research into new openings for blind workers both in manual No one can foretell how far the urbanisation of rural and non-manual occupations. Efforts are being made people will continue. Towns maybe will stop growing to increase the openings in those professions which altogether and town-planning schemes will stay in the cupboard. The speculative builder will grow cautious, a limited number of blind persons already practise. The Advisory Committee on the Welfare of the Blind perhaps not till over-building has produced a useful is considering the question of promoting the further decline in house prices and rents. Generous schemes education of the adult blind by means of corre- of water-supply, sewage disposal, and other public services suffice. Above all, sanitary authorities spondence. Courses were organised by voluntary will havewill a breathing space in which they can make effort last year, and requests have been received for instruction in such subjects as English composition their equipment more nearly perfect without the and literature, business correspondence, history, immanent nightmare of unmanageable growth. But in one important respect the stationary populaFrench, German, Latin, industrial history, and the tion of the twentieth century will be very different theory of music. Such courses are likely to broaden from that of the seventeenth. Numbers rose little the interest and outlook of blind persons in all phases between 1600 and 1700 the death-rate was because of life and human activity. Those who are interested so high ; will increase they only slightly between are asked to send in their names to the secretary of the 1929 and 2000 because the birth-rate is so low. The are association to which attached, voluntary they average expectation of life at birth has enormously or to their home visitor. increased and the population of 1950 will differ from that of 1750 by containing a much larger proportion of old people. It is not our concern at the moment THE RADIUM COMMISSION. to discuss the effect of this on industry, production, and consumption ; its medical implications are AT a meeting of the Commission on Oct. llth it enough. Man’s body in Western Europe nowadays was decided to allot the four-gramme bomb of radium begins to decay somewhere about 35; his elastic to the authorities of the Westminster Hospital, tissue loses its elasticity, he tends to become generally subject to agreement on the conditions of the loan. fibrous, his aorta begins to die and dilate, the This bomb has been secured by the National Radium glomeruli of his kidney perish a few at a time, his functional defects are obvious if he tries to run. Trust for a period of three months from Nov. lst, with And there is no suggestion that in increasing the an option to purchase at the end of that time. The average length of life anything has been done Commission’s policy of selection is based on the towards extending life’s maximum possible duration ; principle of concentration of radium at a limited death at the end of the natural span is postponed, not number of centres in Great Britain, to which patients; averted, and the human body is where it has always will be brought for treatment. At the same time it been since vital statistics were collected. It follows that medicine and surgery will, progressively more is proposed to distribute under proper safeguards’ and more, have to conduct their operations on bodies supplies of radium emanation, prepared under the which are more or less decayed and senile. It is direction of the Commission. estimated that one-fifth of the whole population will "
"
,
.
.
’
A STATIONARY POPULATION.
The success of this experiment is in this law. doubtful, but in a few branches of industry, such as clock-making and the production of small parts for electrical apparatus, it has been signally successful. .Similar experiments have been made in England,
where, of
Annotations. "Ne quid nimis."
compulsion exists, but there are several objections to the plan of allowing blind and A STATIONARY POPULATION. sighted workers to compete with each other, even WE are,’ ’says Sir George Nowman in his annual where that is possible. In ordinary industrial occupaalmost within sight of a stationary tions the output of a blind worker is less than that report for 1928, " and the press and the public seem at population of a competent sighted worker, by an amount variously last to be taking notice of a prospect of which they course, no
"
"
estimated as 25 to 66 per cent., and in order that the by Prof. former may earn a living wage additional payments haveL.been assured for the last ten yearsand other Bowley, Prof. Raymond Pearl, known as augmentation are made to him in most A. this was The of statisticians. country population funds. countries, either from State or from voluntary 9 millions in 1800,18 millions in 1850, 32 millions a,bout Numerically larger is the problem of the unemployable in 1900, 36 millions in 1910, and 40 millions now. blind. In most countries it is dealt with by the the nineteenth century was The increase poor-law organisation. In America the practice unprecedented ;during from about 5 millions in 1600 the varies in the several States. In Great Britain, under 6 millions the Blind Persons Act, the certified blind receive number of the people slowly grew to some their old age pensions at the age of 50, and by the in 1700, and we have every reason to suppose that Local Government Act of 1929 the local authorities we are now returning to the almost stationary conElderly and will have power to grant relief to poor blind persons dition of the seventeenth century. under 50, apart from the poor-law. All these services middle-aged people to-day were brought up in an involve a great expenditure. In England and Wales atmosphere of rapid increase and universal expansion it was estimated to amount to z31,250,000 in 1924-25, derived from their own experience of what was going of which 2420,000 was contributed by voluntary on around them and from the literature of the societies and the balance partly by the State and preceding generation. What was to them the obvious fact that there were yearly more and more people, partly by local authorities. The sixtieth report of the National Institute for that towns were ever growing larger, that more and the Blind gives an encouraging summary of the more public buildings were needed necessarily coloured whole outlook on life, and their attitude towards position of the blind, so far as England is concerned. their The work of the Institute is threefold: first, the social questions which has been passed on to those young has much the same comorganisation and allocation of charitable funds so as who are atIt present will need’something of a mental conto avoid waste and overlapping ; secondly, under- plexion. to realise in all its implications that no further takings directly for the benefit of the blind-the vulsion considerable increase of population is to be anticipated, and music in of books the Braille publication type, And it is or hoped for, as the case may be. provision of homes for blind babies (the recent fire feared, at Chorley Wood Sunshine House necessitated moving difficult to see quite plainly what the change will the children into Devon pending the rebuilding), the involve though it is obviously of extraordinary maintenance of various other schools, homes, and importance. Sanitarians will be concerned with migrations of hostels-personal services to the blind, including the rather than with changes in total numbers. populations distribution of wireless sets ; and thirdly, research into new openings for blind workers both in manual No one can foretell how far the urbanisation of rural and non-manual occupations. Efforts are being made people will continue. Towns maybe will stop growing to increase the openings in those professions which altogether and town-planning schemes will stay in the cupboard. The speculative builder will grow cautious, a limited number of blind persons already practise. The Advisory Committee on the Welfare of the Blind perhaps not till over-building has produced a useful is considering the question of promoting the further decline in house prices and rents. Generous schemes education of the adult blind by means of corre- of water-supply, sewage disposal, and other public services suffice. Above all, sanitary authorities spondence. Courses were organised by voluntary will havewill a breathing space in which they can make effort last year, and requests have been received for instruction in such subjects as English composition their equipment more nearly perfect without the and literature, business correspondence, history, immanent nightmare of unmanageable growth. But in one important respect the stationary populaFrench, German, Latin, industrial history, and the tion of the twentieth century will be very different theory of music. Such courses are likely to broaden from that of the seventeenth. Numbers rose little the interest and outlook of blind persons in all phases between 1600 and 1700 the death-rate was because of life and human activity. Those who are interested so high ; will increase they only slightly between are asked to send in their names to the secretary of the 1929 and 2000 because the birth-rate is so low. The are association to which attached, voluntary they average expectation of life at birth has enormously or to their home visitor. increased and the population of 1950 will differ from that of 1750 by containing a much larger proportion of old people. It is not our concern at the moment THE RADIUM COMMISSION. to discuss the effect of this on industry, production, and consumption ; its medical implications are AT a meeting of the Commission on Oct. llth it enough. Man’s body in Western Europe nowadays was decided to allot the four-gramme bomb of radium begins to decay somewhere about 35; his elastic to the authorities of the Westminster Hospital, tissue loses its elasticity, he tends to become generally subject to agreement on the conditions of the loan. fibrous, his aorta begins to die and dilate, the This bomb has been secured by the National Radium glomeruli of his kidney perish a few at a time, his functional defects are obvious if he tries to run. Trust for a period of three months from Nov. lst, with And there is no suggestion that in increasing the an option to purchase at the end of that time. The average length of life anything has been done Commission’s policy of selection is based on the towards extending life’s maximum possible duration ; principle of concentration of radium at a limited death at the end of the natural span is postponed, not number of centres in Great Britain, to which patients; averted, and the human body is where it has always will be brought for treatment. At the same time it been since vital statistics were collected. It follows that medicine and surgery will, progressively more is proposed to distribute under proper safeguards’ and more, have to conduct their operations on bodies supplies of radium emanation, prepared under the which are more or less decayed and senile. It is direction of the Commission. estimated that one-fifth of the whole population will "
"
,
.
.
’