chemical poisons. He only used them in harmless doses unless he wanted to do away with an enemy or a wild beast. He was thus careful because he knew all about the poison, its shape, colour, taste, origin, and effects when taken. In fact, he was educated as regards the poison. Now about disease poisons we were ignorant until comparatively recently. Their nature, origin, methods of growth, etc., were unknown to us. So big was the ignorance in their regard, that it begot hopelessness, which prevails much to the present day. Modern science and modern research have now cleared up the mystery of disease-poisons.

Modern methods enable us to know all about them. All our discoveries and experiences teach us there is but one way of saving ourselves and that is by preventing and avoiding diseases, as we would ordinary poisons. In fact, more so, because ordinary posions are limited in quantity, whereas disease poisons being living grow and multiply indefinitely. To begin then, the backbone of our preventative measures must be sanitary education. Around it are grouped, as powerful assistants, drainage, proper healthy dwelling houses, sanatoriums, disinfection, etc. Some scientists place all reliance on sanatoriums In my opinion and experience of rural Ireland, that is beginning at the wrong end. In the homes we must start. Let each home, each four-roomed cottage, be made a sanatorium. Let the family be so educated as to keep it one. Nor will the erection of dwelling houses witnout education avail. Put a dirt-loving family into a mansion and fever and sickness will be the result. Put a clean-living, sanitarily-educated family into a hovel and the chances are they will make a li le mansion of it. Those who advocate pamphlet-placard distribution and education dispensaries are right in their conception of education being the means, but ignorant of the practical value of such tiny remedies in the present severe case of Ireland. We may take it then, that now and henceforth the fight against consumption and like infectious diseases must be waged on educative lines. Examining Ireland from the educational standpoint, what is her state? What relation has her ignorance to the enormity of her consumptive infection? What should be done by the proper responsible authorities? What will not be done? And, finally, what we must do ourselves? Excepting a few educated, the majority

G

of the people are grossly ignorant of infection and infectious diseases, of the elementary methods of health preservation from such diseases. How could they be otherwise? In sanitary education are not our schools and colleges last in the class of nations? Our children in the National Schools (with a few exceptions) are taught something of everything that is going except that which should be their first study-health preservation, the making healthy and beautifying their homes. In the Intermediate Schools our boys spend hours weekly de-Greekising the marches of the long-dead Cyrus, or memorising the dates of some bow and arrow battles. Not a minute given to the revelations of modern discovery in regard to health of home or country. No demonstrations given of how to utilise our beautiful fresh air and water, all our natural resources in the stamping out of diseases and in the building up of clean, bright villages and towns.

And our school girls? They are taught monosyllabic French, glass, house habits, and other trifles. How to keep the home healthy, how to cook properly, how to train children similarly, all that finds no place in the curriculum. The result of this non-education is the chronic tuberculosis of Ireland. No other result is possible.

Our country boys with time and muscle to spare are so indifferent that they would not think of draining a street or making a few windows. They would sleep with their consumptive brother or drink from the same vessels. Why shouldn't they? Who taught them otherwise? They never heard the contrary at school or in any other place. Our college boys, the sons of well-to-do people, are they much better? How many intelligent promising college boys of wealthy parents die every year from consumption! How many of them could have been saved by timely warning and instruction on the nature and prevention of the disease! How many dying consumptives do we get home from America yearly? America takes out our best men and women and sends us back the aged, the lame, and the rotten consumptives. Each returned person infects on an average two or three. Those two or three transmit it to their healthy neighbours, and thus the spread goes on without hindrance. Were our people educated to the nature of consumption would they tolerate such free trade in consumption from

America? Seeing, therefore, that sanitary education is the first and essential step for combating the disease, how can it be carried out with the greatest economy and with the least amount of injury to the parties concerned?

Sanitary education may be compulsory or voluntary. Compulsion applied to the grown-up people of the nation would result in injury and failure, but applied to the school-going people would be non-injurious and successful.

Voluntary sanitary education, on the other hand, applied to children would be useless, whilst applied to grown-ups would stand a good chance of success. The child would not notice the compulsion, the man would. For the school-going portion of the population we would then adopt compulsory, for the adult portion voluntary, sanitary education. A comprehensive system of sanitary education in all our schools and colleges should therefore be the first object of any responsible government. Had such a system been in force for the last ten years, we would not to-day have to preach to and teach men and women with fixed preformed ideas on health and habits. We would not have an adult population ignorant of the most elementary health principles. With such a system in force a sanatorium will be a success, not otherwise. Why? With an ignorant people your sanatorium is nothing but a kind of fever hospital. With a sanitarily-educated people, it becomes an hospital for curing, where the friends, knowing its real value, will hasten to send the consumptive. For the poor, hopeless cases around the country, there is nothing to be done except remove them, if possible, from the healthy population, as they are so many centres of poison. For them homes under the different religious orders at once suggest themselves.

Summarising then, our plan in the consumption campaign must be first and above all an efficient system of compulsory sanitary education, backed up by a sanatorium for every three or four counties and homes for the hopeless cases, thereby ensuring protection for the future, cure for the curable, and the only comfort we can give to the dying.

In poor districts the young boys should be helped by the Congested and such like Boards to improve their houses and surroundings. Will our governing authorities take up the work? No reason to hope so, therefore we must do it ourselves. Surely a combination of the churches, with their

enormous powers, the County and District Councils, with their limited resources, the medical and teaching professions, with their exceptional positions-such a combination is fit for the task. To them, then, I would submit this programme of work:-(1) A proper system of sanitary education in the schools. The first and most essential part and the one easiest of adoption. The only difficulties being the teaching of the teachers for the work, and the making room for the daily hygiene lesson on the school curriculum. The first can be got over by arrangement with the doctors, the second by eliminating from the school course some useless subjectfor health preservation should have the first place. The extra hardship on the teachers could be met by extra reward for the school showing greatest proficiency. (2) A sanatorium for every three or four counties. This is a question for the councils concerned. (3) Homes for the hopeless cases. (4) Special assistance by Congested Board for the improvement of houses in the poorer districts. (5) Some action to prevent the influx of American consumptives. (6) Other points. Instruction in the Irish language for Irish speaking districts. Prizes for best answering of children, etc.

biotáilte.

Tá

Siúd is naċ bfúil filteóireaċt nó deanaṁ biotáilte com sean-ársa 1 néirinn is tá deanaṁ leanna, is fada siar an t-am é ó rinnead an céad uisge beata. tuairisg gur rinnead san darna aois déag é, aċt tá aṁras againn ar sin mar ní feictear dúinn go bfuil téarma nó focla ceárdaṁla sa' Ġaedilg a' baint le deanaṁ biotáilte mar atá a' baint le deanaṁ leanna. Is dóig linn go rab an Ġaedilg ag meat ċeana féin sul a rab eolas ag an ċoitċiantaċt ar šilteoireaċt. San seisead aois déag cuiread cáin ar duine ar bit doiġeanfad uisge-beata, agus ní ba deirionnaiġe ná sin bagair dligte Šasana go gcroċfaide fear ar bit do gabfaide i gcionn an gnóċa sin; aċt ní'l tuairisg le fáġáil CIACA ar croćad aon duine dá ¿airde an dliġead sin. San seaċtṁad aois déag tagad cead do luċt silte aċt go n-iocfadaois cíor-cáin do Riagaltas Šarana ar An mbiotáilte, agus is aṁlaid atá an sgéal ó foin.,

San bliadain 1779 bí cead ag 1152 daoine 1 néirinn uisge-beata doigeanad, aċt ó cuiread tuillead cána orra fá'n am sin tuit an uimir go dtí 210 1 1798, go dtí 51 1 1806, agus go dtí 24 1 1869. Tá 28 daoine 1 néirinn a dfuil cead aca san am atá i látair againn. Ní airṁiġmid na daoine a deanann uisge beata gan ċead, mar is firBeagan de'n biotáilte sin atá dá deanaṁ anois.

Siúd is g› bfuil abfad níos luga daoine a' deanaṁ uisge-beata anois ná mar biod fadó ní fágann sin naċ bfuil níos mó de'n uisge-beata dá deanaṁ anois na mar Bí riaṁ roime. Céad bliadain ó sɔin, do réir na tuairme is cruinne is féidir linn d'fáġail, rinnead eidir 5 milliÚIN agus 6 milliúin galún d'uisge-beata go bliadantaṁail 1 néirinn. Ins an bliadain atá caitte againn anois rinnead ós cionn 12 milliúin Galún. D'árduiġead an ¿íos-¿áin go mór ar uisge-beata i néirinn ar fead na gcéad bliadain. San bladain 1824 čá rað air act 2/4 a' galún, act d'ár,