Draining for Profit, and Draining for HealthWaring, George E. (George Edwin)
Science
Draining for Profit, and Draining for Health
Waring, George E. (George Edwin)
Drain-tiles; Drainage
It is important that, in towns not supplied with waterworks, measures be
taken to prevent the admission of too much solid matter in the drainage of
houses. Water being the motive power for the removal of the solid parts of
the sewage, unless there be a public supply which can be turned on at
pleasure, no house should deliver more solid matter than can be carried
away by its refuse waters.
The drainage of houses is one of the chief objects of sewerage.
In addition to the cases cited above of the model lodging houses in
Lambeth Square, and of the buildings at Westminster, it may be well to
refer to a remarkable epidemic which broke out in the Maplewood Young
Ladies’ Institute in Pittsfield, Mass., in 1864, which was of so violent
and fatal a character as to elicit a special examination by a committee of
physicians. The family consisted, (pupils, servants, and all,) of one
hundred and twelve persons. Of these, fifty-one were attacked with
well-defined typhoid fever during a period of less than three weeks. Of
this number thirteen died. The following is extracted from the report of
the committee:
"Of the 74 resident pupils heard from, 66 are reported as having had
illness of some kind at the close of the school or soon after. This is a
proportion of 33/37 or nearly 90 per cent. Of the same 74, fifty-one had
typhoid fever, or a proportion of nearly 69 per cent. If all the people in
the town, say 8000, had been affected in an equal proportion, more than
7000 would have been ill during these few weeks, and about 5500 of them
would have had typhoid fever, and of these over 1375 would have died. If
it would be a more just comparison to take the whole family at Maplewood
into the account, estimating the number at 112, fifty-six had typhoid
fever, or 50 per cent., and of these fifty-six, sixteen died, or over 28.5
per cent. These proportions applied to the whole population of 8000, would
give 4000 of typhoid fever in the same time; and of these 1140 would have
died. According to the testimony of the practising physicians of
Pittsfield, the number of cases of typhoid fever, during this period,
aside from those affected by the influences at Maplewood, was small, some
physicians not having had any, others had two or three." These cases
amounted to but eight, none of which terminated fatally.
The whole secret of this case was proven to have been the retention of the
ordure and waste matter from the kitchens and dormitories in privies and
vaults, underneath or immediately adjoining the buildings, the odor from
these having been offensively perceptible, and under certain atmospheric
conditions, having pervaded the whole house.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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