Presidential address at the Epidemiological Society, delivered on November 5th, 1879 / by Joseph Fayrer.

  • Joseph Fayrer
Date:
[1879]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Presidential address at the Epidemiological Society, delivered on November 5th, 1879 / by Joseph Fayrer. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    8/18 page 8
    but little of the nature of the causes of epidemics such as cholera, or of malarious diseases, but they show what may be expected in regard to them, when and how they will appear, and how sanitary work may be made most effectually to avert, prevent, control, mitigate, or remove them; nor is it too much to say that we hope, if not to banish or stamp out, at all events still further to mitigate their ravages. This, I think, is war- ranted by experience, for certainly the past twenty years have witnessed great progress, and we already see that not only is the value of life increasing, but that the virulence of, and mortality caused by, epidemic disease are being controlled, whilst the vexatious and purposeless restric- tions and restraints of quarantine are diminished if not altogether removed, in our dominions at least. Science that has enabled us to reduce the death-rate among our troops from 17*9 to 8*56 per 1000 in Europe, and from 69* to 17*62 per 1000 in India, speaks for itself; and were there no other result this alone is a triumph such as has been achieved by no other department of knowledge. Pray do not suppose that I claim all this for Indian workers. We all know that these great steps in social and sanitary progress began here, but I do say that the torch then lighted has since been worthily and firmly borne in Indian hands. This Society, young as it is, can remember the commencement of sys- tematic sanitary work in the East, and may claim some share in the origination of the good work; for among its earlier members were some who advocated the study of epidemiology and hygiene in India. I can- not now stay to dwell on this, but I may say briefly in regard to its progress and work that until the sanitary department was formed, less than twenty years ago, comparative, I might almost say complete, ignorance on the subject of epidemics, and of the diseases that prevailed among the people, existed. An epidemic might carry off thousands, but we knew not where it commenced, where it ended, or what area it oc- cupied. Now, thanks to the continued and careful statistics, we know all that and more with fair accuracy, and are gradually collecting facts which make the study of epidemiology possible. Before organised sani- tary work in India began our knowledge of the general population- nay, even of the European troops and prisoners—was most imperfect. Now, thanks to that department, and especially to Bryden, whose name cannot be too prominently mentioned in connection with the subject, we have, in his most elaborate and valuable statistical reports, facts and figures, as well as deductions, which deserve the closest attention. We have, in short, the most complete details of sickness and mortality in all classes over the whole of India. It is impossible, however much any- one may differ from his conclusions, not to recognise the great value of his work, for these reports contain a vast 'and continued array of authenticated facts which will serve as a mine of information to epi- demiologists ; and there is every reason for believing that it is but an earnest of more ; for if, as Bedford said, the circumstances of India were such as to favour the acquisition of knowledge in 1850, when the precise conditions of life of the population generally, and even of our troops and prisoners were imperfectly known, what must it be now when a system of observation, carried out by a body of trained observers under a head such as he contemplated, is in full and daily improving operation ? One can only wish that, considering the magnitude of the work, it were more
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3