50 Years Ago

“The great majority of school children are not only robust and healthy, but are taller and heavier than their predecessors”, states Sir John Charles, the chief medical officer of the Ministry of Education, in his report for 1958 and 1959 ... Only about five per cent of school children contracted a notifiable infectious disease in the years under review. Tuberculosis continued to decline. Poliomyelitis reached its lowest level for thirteen years, and vaccination against it was undertaken vigorously everywhere ... The main cause of death among children is through accident ... In 1958, 869 children of 5–15 years died from accidents, including 395 from accidents involving motor vehicles, 174 from drowning, and 58 from burns and scalds.

From Nature 25 March 1961

100 Years Ago

I have just been told a very interesting story by Mr. James Day of this town. Many years ago he and his father ... noticed a fox come searching along the hedgerows ... they saw that he was collecting the sheep's wool caught on the thorns and brambles. When he had gathered a large bunch he went down to a pool ... and backed slowly brush first into the water, until he was all submerged except his nose and the bunch of wool, which he held in his mouth. He remained thus for a short time, and then let go of the wool, which floated away; then he came out, shook himself, and ran off. Much astonished at this strange proceeding, they took a shepherd's crook ... and pulled the wool out. They found that it was full of fleas, which, to save themselves from drowning, had crept up and up the fox's brush and body and head and into the wool, and that thus the wily fox had got rid of them. T. McKenny Hughes

From Nature 23 March 1911