Spons' Household Manual: A treasury of domestic receipts and a guide for home management
General
Spons' Household Manual: A treasury of domestic receipts and a guide for home management
Home economics
=Sanitation.=--This heading is intended to embrace the removal and
disposal of the various kinds of refuse and waste produced in the
dwelling from day to day. Endless volumes have been written on the
subject, but in plain words the whole art resolves itself into
sound pipes for the conveyance of the fluid portion and efficient
ventilation of the receptacles and conduits.
_House Drains._--It was pointed out by Burton,[1] before the Society
of Arts, that where, as in London, the sewerage system is fairly
good, dangers to health arise not from the sewers direct, but either
from the sewers by means of the house drains, or even more often
from the house drains themselves. It is quite agreed by medical
authorities that diseases may arise from gases evolved from the
drains, or even discharge pipes in a house, entirely apart from any
specific infection such as may be conveyed by means of sewers.
This being the case, it will be seen that the thing which most
behoves us is to make sure that the house system is efficiently
doing its work. It is evident that the objects to be aimed at in
constructing a system of house drainage, are as follows:--
First. All matter placed in any of the sanitary appliances in the
house must be carried, with the greatest possible expedition, clear
of the premises, leaving behind it as little deposit as possible.
Second. All sewer air must be prevented from entering the houses by
the channels which serve to carry away the sewage.
Third. Since it is impossible to have house drains absolutely clean,
that is, devoid of all decomposing matter, all air from house drains,
and even from sink, bath, and other waste pipes must be kept out of
the dwelling-rooms.
To which might be added a fourth, that a constant current of fresh
air must be established along every pipe in which it is possible that
any decomposing matter may remain, so that such matter may be rapidly
oxidised, or rendered innocuous.
The number of houses in which sanitary inspectors find the drainage
arrangements to be thoroughly good, and to be fulfilling these
conditions, is surprisingly small. In fact, in all the houses they
are called upon to examine, except those which have been arranged,
within the last dozen years or so, by some engineer, builder, or
plumber who has made a special study of the matter, are found defects
which interfere with the due fulfilment of one or other of these
conditions.
Attention is called to Fig. 20, in which the drainage arrangements
are shown to be defective. Here Burton has taken such a state of
affairs as is by no means uncommon in a London house. Alongside it is
a drawing which illustrates a well-drained house (Fig. 21). By their
juxtaposition, the defects exhibited will be made more patent.
[Illustration: 20. Ill-arranged House.]
[Illustration: 21. Well-arranged House.]
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