The Begum's Millions by Jules Verne

Author:Jules Verne
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wesleyan University Press
Published: 2013-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

France-Ville

“He sees there that the perfect balance of all his activities is one of the basic necessities of health; that work and repose are equally indispensable to his organs; that fatigue of the mind is as necessary as of the muscles; that nine-tenths of all disease are due to contagion transmitted through the air or in food. Accordingly, it is impossible to surround one’s house and person with too many sanitary safeguards. Avoid the use of poisonous stimulants; get plenty of physical exercise; conscientiously, every day, do some functional task; drink good pure water; eat meats and healthy vegetables simply prepared; sleep regularly seven to eight hours at night. These are the ABCs of good health.

“Starting with these basic principles set forth by the founders, we have spoken of this unique city as if it were already established. This is because, in truth, once the first houses were built, others have subsequently risen from the earth as though by magic. You need to have visited the Far West in order to understand this sudden springing up of cities. Still a wilderness until January 1872, the site counted six thousand houses in 1873 and nine thousand by 1874, with all city buildings fully occupied.

“It must be said that speculation played its role in this unheard-of success. Constructed for the most part on immense properties, and valueless at the outset, the houses were sold at very moderate prices, and rented under very modest conditions. The absence of any city tax, the political independence of this small territory, the attraction of its novelty, and the mildness of its climate all contributed to encouraging emigration. At present, France-Ville counts nearly a hundred thousand inhabitants.

“Moreover, another interesting fact is that the results of this sanitary experiment have been quite conclusive. While the annual mortality rate in the most favored cities of old Europe or the New World has never noticeably gone below three percent, in France-Ville the average over these five years is only one and a half percent. And that figure includes a small bout of malaria which marked their first year. Last year’s percentage, by itself, was but one and a quarter. An even more important consideration is that, almost without exception, all the deaths registered were due to specific maladies, most of which were hereditary. At the same time, accidental illnesses have been a great deal rarer, more limited, and less dangerous than in any other environment. As for outright epidemics, none has been reported.

“It will be interesting to follow the continuing developments of this endeavor, and especially curious to find out if the influence of such a scientific regime over a generation — and even more so over several generations — might not help to weaken the hereditary predisposition for disease.

“‘It is assuredly not too much to hope for,’ wrote one of the founders of this astounding city, ‘and, if so, what a grand result it would be! People living up to ninety or a hundred years old and dying only

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