The reaction against the _laissez faire_ economic teaching began early, and it is in accordance with the fitness of things that the national conscience first rebelled. The earliest evidence of reform was legislation in 1802 on behalf of pauper children indentured to the overseers in textile factories; and there followed subsequent Factory and other Acts in 1819, in 1833, in 1844 and in 1847, which prohibited the factory employment of children under nine, limited the hours of labour of young persons and of women, and insisted on elementary sanitation in factories. Subsequent Factory and Mining Acts, followed by Shop Hours Acts and the Shop Seats’ Act, have completed a most valuable code of regulations prohibiting overwork, and securing a measure of protection against dangers to health and limb or eyesight during industrial employment. It is noteworthy that the first steps at improved sanitation, and to safeguard health by preventing overwork, were on the industrial plane. Factory inspectors preceded medical officers of health and sanitary inspectors appointed by local authorities. Philanthropy was the motive power in initiating factory reform; in securing general sanitary reform, driving power was furnished by the double motive of economy and fear, caused by the inordinate expense of poor-law administration, the frequently recurring epidemics of “fever,” and the alarming occasional invasions of Asiatic cholera. The sacrifices of life from cholera were truly vicarious; for we owe it largely to these that our national system of vital statistics was initiated in 1837 and that serious efforts at sanitary reform were begun. _Man and His Environment_ The history of these earlier steps is full of interest; but I cannot outline it today. There can be no doubt that as Simon[3] put it, referring to Dr. Southwood Smith’s report to the Poor-Law Commissioners in 1838 (“on Some of the Physical Causes of Sickness and Mortality to which the Poor are particularly exposed, and which are capable of removal by Sanitary Regulations”) the commencement of State interference on behalf of the health of the labouring classes may be said to date from its publication and to have been in a very important degree determined by its facts and arguments. That the first principles of causation were beginning to be appreciated is shown in the following extract from Queen Victoria’s speech in opening Parliament in 1849. In this speech she referred to the ravages of cholera which it had pleased Almighty God to arrest, and added: Her Majesty is persuaded that we shall best evince our gratitude by vigilant precautions against the more obvious causes of sickness, and an enlightened consideration for those who are most exposed to its attacks.