Mar. 5.
We would recommend everybody to read Dr. Stanley's report on the health of the Settlement during the past year—contained in Part I of the Municipal Council's report just issued—first 0: cause it is extraordinarily teresting, and secondly because it contains a vast amount of information that can be turned to the reader's personal profit. There are two attitudes towards matters of health which the report shows to be equally fallacious, one that they are mainly the business of doctors and the other that they tied 651 are largely ruled by chance. The conduct of a great many people illustrates both. They live as though sickness and disease were evils which have no relation {o their own actions, realities indeed, but realities to be dealt with, when and if by bad luck, st. the bidding of fate, they are encountered, by the men -whose business it is to' understand them. This conception, of course, is a survival of the days when ignorance of things medical placed sickness in the category of visitations and clothed the doctor with the mantle of mysterious and cult powers. Gradually it has given way to an intelligent practice of connecting cause and effect which, however, is still regarded by a great number, perhaps the majority of laymen as an exercise with which they themselves have nothing to do. Dr. Stanley strikes at the root of this idea by pointing out in his opening pa graphs that medical—subjects should be recognized by everybody as social problems, he practical prevention of discase", he says, is now reduced to simple terms and scientific precision, so that effort can be concentrated in channels which lead to the prevention of most disease as shown by actual figures." In' other words, health and.sickness are very largely matters of per-, sonal enlpahility. A recognition of this fact at once raises the question of the health of Shanghai from the level of what is accidental to that of personal duty.
Dr. Stanley sets out his facts in away which will drive this home to the consciousness of everybody who reads them. From the large number which he gives we may select those dealing with smalipox, plague and tuberculosis, As regards the first it is, as. the figures show, only on the Chinese that the preventive cure of vaccination need still be urged, though they have come forward to be vaccinated in sufficient numbers to show that they appreciate its benefits to a much greater extent than. they did. As regards plague, however, which is a growing menace to the community, the Health Officer has this to say. After. pointing out that, a complete plague survey of the Settlement has been. maintained since plague-infected rats were found in December 1908, and giving figures to show how thoroughly this is carried out, be declares that the Original from
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