Editorial

Technology has brought tremendous blessings upon our generation: Some 100 years ago old people, crippled due to hard labour, were a common view, a days travelling distance was approximately 50 -100 km; I just mention the achievement of sanitary engineers: Modern sewage treatment has effectively eliminated epidemics – like pestilence, typhoid fevers. Considering the above, one may safely say “engineers have contributed to public health, they have assisted the medical profession in pursuit of its aim. By collating the attached documents we honour an engineer who contributed to public health by means of never tiring in improving air quality as far deterioration had occurred due to wide spread application of internal combustion engines. Power engines have done away with so many crippled people; however, their wide spread use has brought about

contamination of air, which we need for breathing, i.e. life: We need solid food about 500 grams per day; we need water, liquid, about 2 litres, say 2000 grams per day and we need air, approximately 20 litres per day. We may select food, perhaps healthy food from the farmers’ market, we may buy drinking water in bottles, mineral water, but we have no choice in selecting the air we are breathing. Dr Mayer’s professional competence, his unending energy and his art of persuasion have initiated a development that the giant (i.e. technology) may not eat his or our children as is a metaphor of old tales (see the picture of a fountain in the City of Berne). Attached is a dinner speech for the honoured. dinner-speech-
DER KINDERFRESSENDE GOTT, MOLOCH VERKEHR.