Subjects of social welfare / by Sir Lyon Playfair.

  • Playfair, Lyon Playfair, Baron, 1818-1898.
Date:
1889
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Subjects of social welfare / by Sir Lyon Playfair. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    44/424 (page 32)
    “A man, perhaps the moment of his breath, Receives the lurking principle of death ; The young disease which must subdue at length, Grows with his growth, and strengthens with his strength.” We are not always neglectful. Sometimes we look upon a human infant as a dangerous animal that may turn round and bite us when it grows up, and so we give some attention to the children of the dangerous classes, and try to tame them by improving their dens and educating them to a limited degree. But the children of the pro- ductive classes receive no such public care, and they grow up stunted in frame and of low productive value, because the State does not provide for conditions of healthy human development in crowded populations. If babies were pigs, or oxen, or sheep, the Vice-President of the Council would be daily questioned in the House of Commons if any unusual mortality came amongst them; but being only human infants, no one thinks of their wel- fare. Beasts, with a selling value, are taken more care of than men in free countries. I do not remember the propor- tion of veterinary surgeons to horses, and of surgeons to men in our own army ; but I recollect that Chenu, in describ- ing the late French war, said that every 1,000 horses had 4| veterinary surgeons, while every 1,000 men had only two surgeons. If we succeeded in getting the dwellings of our working classes made as healthy as the cell of the felon— and surely that is not an unattainable luxury—eight years would be added to the productive ability of our working population. I have mentioned various subjects in regard to which legislation is promised to us by Government, and I have no doubt of their desire to improve the condition of the people; but there is among their supporters a strong objec- tion to increase local taxation, and without that large