Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: State hygiene. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.
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![coming for the furtherance of work having for its sole object] benefits to the health of the community at large. By a private individual, however able, dependent upon his own exertions for his maintenance, work of this character cannot be followed as a life’s occupation, and many men very capable of doing good service are prevented by lack of means. The State should, therefore, provide adequate emoluments and encouragement to men willing to devote themselves to this work. England compares unfavourably in this respect with some continental countries. Our Government does not hesitate to maintain at considerable cost chemists and other scientific men to devote their whole time to work which has for its ultimate object the improvement of the art of killing and slaying, and provides splendidly equijjped laboratories at Woolwich for experimental studies connected with war, whilst on the other hand it is most niggardly in its dealing with matters which are vitally connected with the health and well-being of every member of the community. I shall not now attempt to deal with the ways and means by which these proposals might be carried out. An ideal arrangement would be the establishment of a Government Department, with a Minister of Public Health at its head, but in default of this surely something might be easily gained by extending the work done by the Local Government Board. Briefly, the medical department of that Board should be empowered to do thoroughly and systematically that which it now does incompletely and in a somewhat hap-hazard manner. Should the State undertake the Support of Laboratories for the Investigation of Disease ? BY A. E. Wright, B.A. Cantab., M.D. Dublin. Political aspect of the matter depends upon which of the following alternative standpoints is adopted :— (a.) The State shall undertake every function that can be advan- tageously undertaken by it. (b.) The State shall undertake only such functions as it cannot without detriment to itself refuse to undertake. It is proposed to discuss the matter from this last standpoint, because it is the more generally accepted one, and also because the concession of the necessity of the State undertaking the support of research laboratories from this political standpoint will involve the concession of the same thing a fortiori, from the standpoint which involves a wider interpretation of the functions of government. Now, it may be urged in favour of the State undertaking the support of laboratories for the investigation of disease, that this is](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b28045476_0034.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
