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attended with loss and inconvenience, has its advantages. It is a great advantage
to have cows, with their fodder and manure, removed from the midst of crowded
districts, as it removes one very serious source of contamination from the air
and the sewerage. In the summer months there will be some difficulty in
obtaining the milk sweet, in consequence of the delay in transmission from the
country, and the occasional exposure to the sun. Special trains for the bringing
of milk to London at the required hours are needed, and dairy farms in the
country should be within a short distance from the railway station. These things
will be arranged in time.
Milk, which has travelled far on the railway, becomes shaken, so that the
cream does not rise on it so readily. Its nutritive properties are not at all
impaired by this means, though to the Dairyman it is an inconvenience that he
has no cream to sell to his richer customers, if they want it. I have no doubt
that after a time carriages for the conveyance of milk will be so constructed as
to prevent the shaking, which thus interferes with its commercial value.
In conclusion, Gentlemen, let me quote the words of one who has written
and done much for the promotion of public health:—
"In the great objects which sanitary science proposes to itself—in the
immense amelioration which it proffers to the physical, to the social, and
indirectly to the moral condition of an immense majority of our fellow creatures
—it transcends the importance of all other sciences; and in its beneficial
operation, seems most nearly to embody the spirit, and to fulfil the intentions of
practical Christianity.
"Ignorant men may sneer at its pretensions; weak and timorous man may
hesitate to commit themselves to its principles, so large in their application;
selfish men may shrink from the labour of change which its recognition must
entail; wicked men may turn indifferently from considering that which concerns
the health and happiness of millions of their fellow-creatures—to such men an
appeal would be useless."*
But to men, earnest, strong-minded, and praotical, having much consideration
for their fellow men, an appeal may successfully be made; and to such
amongst you, I, as your Officer of Health, appeal, to give serious attention to
sanitary precautions, and to consider the efforts of your Sanitary Committee and
their staff as of paramount importance, and worthy of your constant support.
I have the honour to remain,
Gentlemen,
Your obedient Servant,
THOMAS HILLIER.
* First Annual Report on the Sanitary Condition of the City of London, by John Smith, F.R.S.