Volume 1

The prevention of malaria / by Ronald Ross ; with contributions by L.O. Howard [and others].

  • Ronald Ross
Date:
1910
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The prevention of malaria / by Ronald Ross ; with contributions by L.O. Howard [and others]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    71/770 page 47
    8] IRRATIONALISM those who would better this state of affairs by scientific methods are lost among the yells of the opposing factions. Though in the tropics we are still spared many of the evils of party government, the same spirit of inutilitarianism often remains. Money which would suffice for the assainment of whole towns is wasted rather on the construction of extrava¬ gant town halls and post-offices. The cost of a new hospital would often suffice to prevent more cases of sickness than are treated in it; and that of invaliding to prevent the disease which causes it. The British Government spends ^15,000,000 a year on the education of children; but gives, I believe, literally nothing for the scientific investigation of scarlet fever, measles, whooping - cough, chicken - pox and mumps, which work such mischief among these same children — a fact which by itself proves the illogical nature of the educa¬ tion given. Similarly in the tropics I have seen a large class of coloured children, almost all of whom were suffer¬ ing at the time from fever or enlargement of the spleen, being taught the dates of accession of the Plantagent kings! We all know how often sanitation receives only the crumbs which remain at the bottom of the public pocket after all the other departments have been well fed—the final triumph of fakirism. But we must not blame the general public alone. We are familiar with the manner in which individual medical men give their services, not only to medical science, but for the gratuitous treatment of the poor; yet nevertheless the medical profession as a body possesses little influence or power in public affairs. It is a body without a head. It does not take a high enough stand with the public regarding scientific and sanitary matters. The duty of the profession does not lie merely in teaching and in the cure of the sick, but in everything that appertains to the health of the people. Yet it is apt to be dominated, not by this lofty ambition, but by other ideals ; and it therefore seldom bestirs itself regarding
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