50 Years Ago

Journey to the Jade Sea. By John Hillaby — Books by writers who go to Africa in search of their souls are always interesting to us who went there in search of wages; this book is fascinating. “Essentially, I walked into the N.F.D. for the hell of it” (p. 2); Mr. Hillaby took his own hell by using a small string of unhealthy camels for transport instead of a lorry or Land-Rover, as do other people in that part of Kenya. “Perhaps all safaris start this way. Somewhat despondently ...” (p. 7); they do not, but I should have been despondent if I had started with that collection of provisions ... in old cardboard boxes ... Messrs. Constable have published a most interesting book. They might also publish an interesting one by the Warden, for he no doubt would tell us more about the animals and plants.

From Nature 19 September 1964

100 Years Ago

Let us consider lastly a disease which collects the last toll from one-seventh of humanity, and debilitates and enfeebles the lives of many whom it does not entirely destroy ... How are we organizing our campaign against tuberculosis? Bacteriology has taught us that it is an infectious disease and has isolated the organism ... all over the civilized world the total death-roll of human kind annually from tuberculosis probably does not fall short of a million souls ... This disease must be stopped at its source as well as dealt with on its course. No disease has ever been eradicated from a community by discovering cures for it, and none ever will; many diseases have disappeared because their sources have been cut off. Let us be scientific, let us search out the truth; having found it, let us act upon it, and let us conceal nothing that is true.

From Nature 17 September 1914