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。