Still，thereisonecauseforsatisfaction：thelawgoverningtherelationoftheologytodiseaseisnowwellbeforetheworld，anditisseeninthefactthat，justinproportionastheworldprogressedfromtheswayofHippocratestothatoftheagesoffaith，soitprogressedinthefrequencyandseverityofgreatpestilences；andthat，ontheotherhand，justinproportionastheworldhasrecededfromthatperiodwhentheologywasall-pervadingandall-controlling，plagueafterplaguehasdisappeared，andthoseremaininghavebecomelessandlessfrequentandvirulent。[339]
[339]ForthechargeofpoisoningwaterandproducingpestilenceamongtheGreeks，seeGrote，HistoryofGreece，vol。vi，p。213。
ForasimilarchargeagainsttheJewsintheMiddleAges，seevarioushistoriesalreadycited；andforthegreatpopularprejudiceagainstwater-carriersatParisinrecenttimes，seethelargerrecentFrenchhistories。
Therecenthistoryofhygieneinallcountriesshowsalongseriesofvictories，andthesemaywellbestudiedinGreatBritainandtheUnitedStates。Intheformer，thoughtherehadbeenmanywarningsfromeminentphysicians，andaboveallintheseventeenthandeighteenthcenturies，frommenlikeCaius，Mead，andPringle，theresultwasfarshortofwhatmighthavebeengained；anditwasonlyintheyear1838thatasystematicsanitaryeffortwasbeguninEnglandbythepublicauthorities。
Thestateofthingsatthattime，thoughbycomparisonwiththeMiddleAgeshappy，was，bycomparisonwithwhathassincebeengained，fearful：thedeathrateamongallclasseswashigh，butamongthepooritwasghastly。Outofseventy-seventhousandpaupersinLondonduringtheyears1837and1838，fourteenthousandweresufferingfromfever，andofthesenearlysixthousandfromtyphus。InmanyotherpartsoftheBritishIslandsthesanitaryconditionwasnobetter。Anoblebodyofmengrappledwiththeproblem，andinafewyearsoneoftheseroseabovehisfellows——thelateEdwinChadwick。Theoppositiontohisworkwasbitter，and，thoughmanychurchmenaidedhim，thesupportgivenbytheologiansandecclesiasticsasawholewasveryfarshortofwhatitshouldhavebeen。Toomanyofthemwereoccupiedinthatmostcostlyandmostworthlessofallprocesses，“thesavingofsouls“bytheinculcationofdogma。
Yetsomeofthehigherecclesiasticsandmanyofthelesserclergydidmuch，sometimesriskingtheirlives，andoneofthem，SidneyGodolphinOsborne，deserveslastingmemoryforhisstruggletomakeknownthesanitarywantsofthepeasantry。
Chadwickbegantobewidelyknownin1848asamemberoftheBoardofHealth，andwasdrivenoutforatimeforoverzeal；butfromonepointoranother，duringfortyyears，hefoughttheopposition，developedthenewwork，andoneofthebestexhibitsofitsresultsisshowninhisaddressbeforetheSanitaryConferenceatBrightonin1888。Fromthisandotherperfectlytrustworthysourcessomeideamaybegainedofthetriumphofthescientificoverthetheologicalmethodofdealingwithdisease，whetherepidemicorsporadic。
InthelatterhalfoftheseventeenthcenturytheannualmortalityofLondonisestimatedatnotlessthaneightyinathousand；aboutthemiddleofthiscenturyitstoodattwenty-fourinathousand；in1889itstoodatlessthaneighteeninathousand；andinmanypartsthemostrecentstatisticsshowthatithasbeenbroughtdowntofourteenorfifteeninathousand。AquarterofacenturyagothedeathratefromdiseaseintheRoyalGuardsatLondonwastwentyinathousand；in1888ithadbeenreducedtosixinathousand。Inthearmygenerallyithadbeenseventeeninathousand，butithasbeenreduceduntilitnowstandsateight。IntheoldIndianarmyithadbeensixty-nineinathousand，butoflateithasbeenbroughtdownfirsttotwenty，andfinallytofourteen。Mr。
Chadwickinhisspeechprovedthatmuchmoremightbedone，forhecalledattentiontotheGermanarmy，wherethedeathratefromdiseasehasbeenreducedtobetweenfiveandsixinathousand。
ThePublicHealthActhavingbeenpassedin1875，thedeathrateinEnglandamongmenfell，between1871and1880，morethanfourinathousand，andamongwomenmorethansixinathousand。Inthedecadebetween1851and1860therediedofdiseasesattributabletodefectivedrainageandimpurewateroverfourthousandpersonsineverymillionthroughoutEngland：thesenumbershavedeclineduntilin1888therediedlessthantwothousandineverymillion。Themoststrikingdiminutionofthedeathsfromsuchcauseswasfoundin1891，inthecaseoftyphoidfever，thatdiminutionbeingfiftypercent。Astothescourgewhich，nexttoplaguesliketheBlackDeath，wasformerlythemostdreaded——smallpox——therediedofitinLondonduringtheyear1890justoneperson。DrainageinBristolreducedthedeathratebyconsumptionfrom4。4to2。3；atCardiff，from3。47to2。31；andinallEnglandandWales，from2。68in1851to1。55in1888。
Whatcanbeaccomplishedbybettersanitationisalsoseento-daybyacomparisonbetweenthedeathrateamongthechildrenoutsideandinsidethecharityschools。Thedeathrateamongthoseoutsidein1881wastwelveinathousand；whileinside，wherethechildrenwereundersanitaryregulationsmaintainedbycompetentauthorities，ithasbeenbroughtdownfirsttoeight，thentofour，andfinallytolessthanthreeinathousand。
Inviewofstatisticslikethese，itbecomesclearthatEdwinChadwickandhiscompeersamongthesanitaryauthoritieshaveinhalfacenturydonefarmoretoreducetherateofdiseaseanddeaththanhasbeendoneinfifteenhundredyearsbyallthefeticheswhichtheologicalreasoningcoulddeviseorecclesiasticalpowerenforce。
NotlessstrikinghasbeenthehistoryofhygieneinFrance：
thankstothedeclineoftheologicalcontrolovertheuniversities，totheabolitionofmonasteries，andtosuchlaboursinhygienicresearchandimprovementasthoseofTardieu，Levy，andBouchardat，awondrouschangehasbeenwroughtinpublichealth。Statisticscarefullykeptshowthatthemeanlengthofhumanlifehasbeenremarkablyincreased。Intheeighteenthcenturyitwasbuttwenty-threeyears；from1825to1830itwasthirty-twoyearsandeightmonths；andsince1864，thirty-sevenyearsandsixmonths。
IV。THERELATIONOFSANITARYSCIENCETORELIGION。
Thequestionmaynowarisewhetherthisprogressinsanitarysciencehasbeenpurchasedatanyrealsacrificeofreligioninitshighestsense。Onepieceofrecenthistoryindicatesananswertothisquestion。TheSecondEmpireinFrancehaditsheadinNapoleonIII，anotedVoltairean。AttheclimaxofhispowerhedeterminedtoerectanAcademyofMusicwhichshouldbethenoblestbuildingofitskind。Itwasprojectedonascaleneverbeforeknown，atleastinmoderntimes，andcarriedonforyears，millionsbeinglavisheduponit。AtthesametimetheemperordeterminedtorebuildtheHotel-Dieu，thegreatParishospital；this，too，wasprojectedonagreaterscalethananythingofthekindeverbeforeknown，andalsorequiredmillions。Butintheerectionofthesetwobuildingstheemperor’sdeterminationwasdistinctlymadeknown，thatwiththehighestprovisionforaestheticenjoymentthereshouldbeasimilarprovision，movingonparallellines，forthereliefofhumansuffering。Thisplanwascarriedouttotheletter：thePalaceoftheOperaandtheHotel-Dieuwentonwithequalsteps，andtheformerwasnotallowedtobefinishedbeforethelatter。
Amongallthe“mostChristiankings“ofthehouseofBourbonwhohadprecededhimforfivehundredyears，historyshowsnosuchobediencetothereligiousandmoralsenseofthenation。
Catharinede’Mediciandhersons，plungingthenationintothegreatwarsofreligion，nevershowedanysuchfeeling；LouisXIV，revokingtheEdictofNantesforthegloryofGod，andbringingthenationtosorrowduringmanygenerations，neverdreamedofmakingtheconstructionofhispalacesandpublicbuildingswaituponthedemandsofcharity。LouisXV，sosubservienttotheChurchinallthings，neverbetrayedtheslightestconsciousnessthat，whilemakingenormousexpenditurestogratifyhisownandthenationalvanity，heoughttocarryonworks，paripassu，forcharity。NordidtheFrenchnation，atthoseperiodswhenitwasmostlargelyunderthecontroloftheologicalconsiderations，seemtohaveanyinklingoftheideathatnationormonarchshouldmakeprovisionforrelieffromhumansuffering，tojustifyprovisionforthesumptuousenjoymentofart：itwasreservedforthesecondhalfofthenineteenthcenturytodevelopthisfeelingsostrongly，thoughquietly，thatNapoleonIII，notoriouslyanunbelieverinallorthodoxy，wasobligedtorecogniseitandtosetthisgreatexample。
NorhastherecenthistoryoftheUnitedStatesbeenlessfruitfulinlessons。Yellowfever，whichformerlysweptnotonlySoutherncitiesbutevenNewYorkandPhiladelphia，hasnowbeenalmostentirelywardedoff。SuchepidemicsasthatinMemphisafewyearssince，andtheimmunityofthecityfromsuchvisitationssinceitssanitaryconditionwaschangedbyMr。
Waring，areamoststrikingobjectlessontothewholecountry。
Cholera，whichagainandagainsweptthecountry，hasceasedtobefearedbythepublicatlarge。Typhusfever，oncesodeadly，isnowrarelyheardof。Curiousisittofindthatsomeofthediseaseswhichintheoldentimesweptoffmyriadsonmyriadsineverycountry，nowcausefewerdeathsthansomediseasesthoughtoflittleaccount，andforthecureofwhichpeoplethereforerely，totheircost，onquackeryinsteadofmedicalscience。
ThisdevelopmentofsanitaryscienceandhygieneintheUnitedStateshasalsobeencoincidentwithamarkedchangeintheattitudeoftheAmericanpulpitasregardsthetheoryofdisease。
Inthiscountry，asinothers，downtoaperiodwithinlivingmemory，deathsduetowantofsanitaryprecautionswereconstantlydweltuponinfuneralsermonsas“resultsofnationalsin。”oras“inscrutableProvidences。”Thatviewhasmainlypassedawayamongtheclergyofthemoreenlightenedpartsofthecountry，andwenowfindthem，asarule，activeinspreadingusefulideasastothepreventionofdisease。Thereligiouspresshasbeenespeciallyfaithfulinthisrespect，carryingtoeveryhouseholdmorejustideasofsanitaryprecautionsandhygienicliving。
Theattitudeevenofmanyamongthemostorthodoxrulersinchurchandstatehasbeenchangedbyfactslikethese。LordPalmerstonrefusingtherequestoftheScotchclergythatafastdaybeappointedtowardoffcholera，andadvisingthemtogohomeandcleantheirstreets，——thedevoutEmperorWilliamII
forbiddingprayer-meetingsinasimilaremergency，onthegroundthattheyledtoneglectofpracticalhumanmeansofhelp，——allthisisinstrikingcontrasttotheoldermethods。
Wellworthyofnoteisthegroundtakenin1893，atPhiladelphia，byaneminentdivineoftheProtestantEpiscopalChurch。TheBishopofPennsylvaniahavingissuedaspecialcalltoprayerinordertowardoffthecholera，thisclergymanrefusedtorespondtothecall，declaringthattodoso，inthefilthyconditionofthestreetsthenprevailinginPhiladelphia，wouldbeblasphemous。
Insummingupthewholesubject，weseethatinthisfield，asinsomanyothers，thetriumphofscientificthoughthasgraduallydonemuchtoevolveintheworldnotonlyatheologybutalsoareligiousspiritmoreandmoreworthyofthegoodnessofGodandofthedestinyofman。[340]
[340]OntheimprovementinsanitationinLondonandelsewhereinthenorthofEurope，seetheeditorialandReportoftheConferenceonSanitationatBrighton，givenintheLondonTimesofAugust27，1888。ForthebestauthoritiesonthegeneralsubjectinEngland，seeSirJohnSimononEnglishSanitaryInstitutions，1890；alsohispublishedHealthReportsfor1887，citedintheEdinburghReviewforJanuary，1891。SeealsoParkes’sHygiene，passim。ForthegreatincreaseinthemeanlengthoflifeinFranceunderbetterhygienicconditions，seeRambaud，LaCivilisationcontemporaineenFrance，p。682。FortheapproachtodepopulationatMemphis，underthecesspoolsystemin1878，seeParkes，Hygiene，Americanappendix，p。397。
ForthefactsbroughtoutintheinvestigationofthedepartmentofthecityofNewYorkbytheCommitteeoftheStateSenate，ofwhichthepresentwriterwasamember，seeNewYorkSenateDocumentsfor1865。FordecreaseofdeathrateinNewYorkcityunderthenewBoardofHealth，beginningin1866，andespeciallyamongchildren，seeBuck，HygieneandPopularHealth，NewYork，1879，vol。ii，p。573；andforwiseremarksonreligiousdutiesduringpestilence，seeibid。，vol。ii，p。579。Foracontrastbetweentheoldandnewideasregardingpestilences，seeCharlesKingsleyinFraser’sMagazine，vol。lviii，p。134；alsothesermonofDr。Burns，in1875，attheCathedralofGlasgowbeforetheSocialScienceCongress。Foraparticularlybrightandvaluablestatementofthetriumphsofmodernsanitation，seeMrs。
Plunkett’sarticleinThePopularScienceMonthlyforJune，1891。
ForthereplyofLordPalmerstontotheScotchclergy，seethewell-knownpassageinBuckle。FortheorderoftheEmperorWilliam，seevariousnewspapersforSeptember，1892，andespeciallyPublicOpinionforSeptember24th。