The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-06-02 00:00:00

share, he could not interfere. The men best knew the
value of their own labour, and Mr. Tomkinson the extent
of his own engagements and responsibilities. All he
could advise was, that serious consideration should be
given to the proposition on both sides, before any decision
was come to.

Mr. Tomkinson said he should not hesitate. He would
not accede to the proposition. He would rather pay fines
upon all the works he had in hand.
Mr. Stedman then asked Mr. Tomkinson if he would
consent to give the half hour for refreshment, which he
gave him to understand was at present generally taken ;
supposing the men to abandon the claim for an additional
shilling per week wages?
Mr. Tomkinson said he would consider of this proposi-
tion, and give the men an answer at six o'clock in the
evening.

On Thursday afternoon the usual meeting of the mas-
ters took place. Mr. Tomkinson (chairman) related what
had passed. His impression of- the meeting of Wednes-
day had been the same as Mr. Rushton's. Keeping the
question open was to be deplored, but the fault lay with
the masons themselves, who were acting in the way to
prevent an amicable arrangement. He thought any fur.
ther concession made in a kindly spirit would only load to
further demands. After a longconversation a resolution was
agreed to, which, after embodying the result of the meet-
ing of Wednesday, and stating that the masons had since
demanded half-an-hour's cessation from labour each af-
ternon, thus concluded :—Resolved,—That the number of
hours of labour be the same as before the strike, but that
it be competent to any member to make such a distribu-
tion, and such hours as may be considered convenient to
the respective trades." The meeting then broke up.

CORRHSPONDENCE.

ON THE SANITARY STATE OF SOME PARTS

OF LIVERPOOL-LETTER IX,

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD,

There are two pools in Chatham-street just now only
about a quarter the size they are in the wet months.
They each contain the refuse of animals. I counted 3
decomposing dogs myself. These warm days. the water
is in a constant state of injurious activity. The surface
is studded over with bubbles of gas, the uprising of which
from the muddy bottom gives the appearance to the pool
as if it were raining, from the rings forming around each
bubble as it rises. It once deceived me into the supposi-
tion that it was raining, as water will often show the rain-
fall before the land does, but the sun was shining, and it
was foreman.- I stooped down to osycs-fisro-;f-is- 60s
rising, which I found to be the case to a very curious ex-
tent. On scrutinising more closely the process of the es-
cape of gas, I found the mud of a gelatinous nature, not
like common mud, but peculiarly tremulous. In each
spot whence a bubble of air rose a small hole existed, and
was surrounded with a black margin or disc of nearly
half an inch in diameter. The cracked surface of the
dried mud showed the extent of the former water. Dr.
Brett kindly took the trouble to assist me in collecting
some of the gas from this pool, which we did with some
risk and annoyance to ourselves. On examining it, proof
of its being composed of light carburetted hydrogen was
afforded by its explosion on mixture with common air and
on presenting a lighted taper, it also burned with a bluish
flame. On testing the same for sulphuretted hydrogen,
there was satisfactory evidence of the presence. in small
quantity, of this highly injurious gas. Thus the gaseous
exhalations of this pool were composed in chief bulk of
the regular marsh gas ; and the privy or cesspool gas,
though not in anything like the abundance of the former.
Two volatile poisons then are demonstrated to lie in wait
for the surrounding population, especially for those in the
immediate vicinity. Such a collection of water must
stink from what enters into its composition, although it
does not want the chemical test to establish, the fact
that the adjoining neighbourhood have to complain of its
offensiveness to their. olfactory organs, is hardly needful
to be alleged.
When will prevention of disease be properly studied by
authorities as the better half of cure ? For the informa-
tion of those readers who are not aware of the deadly
poison of sulphuretted hydrogen gas. I may quote, on
Dr. Duncan's authority, that a mixture of 1 part of this
gas, with 800 parts_of common air was fatal to a dog.

This is a very fair, though common specimen, alas! of
these pools—speaking from my own certain knowledge :
and this is the native state in which malaria is in the pro-
cess of generating. The consequences of which, though
it is lamentably disregarded on all sides, yet must result
in prejudicing the health of the neighbourhood—if it
cannot be actually demonstrated to cause fever, common
or eruptive. A low order of street is closely adjoining
it, and from this quarter several poor children were en-
joying this rendezvous of play ; two or three were actually
exhibiting early engineering skill ; tasking the organ of
constructiveness, by shaping of a dam or projecting
mote, constructed of stones, sods, and earth. It is a
pity that sports, innocent in themselves, yet are closely
associated with risk of catching fever; and yet a paternal
municipal government disregards the application of all
preventive means. Why are not such waste plots com-
mitted to the surveillance of Commissioners of Waste
Lands. Until something of this kind is done, the Fever
Wards must be crowded with victims, and the appliances
of cure, compared with those of prevention, retain their
character of ambiguous charitable provision. In fact,
until steps are taken in the proper direction, I appeal to
any persons common sense, whether they can be regarded
as a charity at all. I contend they are not a national
charity—they are far from it; they are only the lowest
possible justice to the poor people, whose refuge they
must be when attacked with fever. We see clearly it is
but just that a state should repair an evil licensed by its
apathy, by bringing to bear oven a tardy caretaking—by
doing all the good it can, when it has permitted all the
esti. inen who will stand romans ana say tnat tins mere
act of justice, can be rightly called a charity. As well
call the few sixpences in the pound of the bankrupt's di.
vidend by the name of charity, towards creditors. Every
preventible case of fever which occurs is an act of bank-
ruptcy, as to the responsibilities and credit of sanitary
provisions, and the refuge of the fever wards for such, is
but as a few pence dividend on the part of the insolvent
authorities. Shall medical men be convinced of this, and
remain utterly silent? if they do, they endorse the enor-
mity. I don't mean to cast.t the slightest reproach upon
those honoured names of Dr. Currie and others, who
strove hard even to effect this measure of tardy justice.
They exerted themselves nobly in the good cause, of
gaining the best dividend they could from the sanitary
insolvency of society ; ants. I would be the last to diminish
from the value of their labours in this department, of se-
lecting alteratives ; but it does not follow that society and
science are to remain stationary. New light brings new
aids and enlarged responsibilities, and science now reveals
to us facts, arranged under general principles, which call
for another and a mighty step onwards. At this moment
I am attending a case of eruptive fever, (scarlatina,) close
to the pool at Edge-hill, and, from what facts already
teach us, it is next to an assured certainty, so adequate
as the pestific ponds prove, that this cause alone of the
effect described is therefore most fairly accused.
A street, a little below Edge-hill, contains three large
pools of water. It did number twice this a few years ago ;
but buildings have encroached upon the site of these
watery wastes; and, as I think, the drainage of the water
off the plot, previous to laying the foundations, was very
imperfectly done, and time was not given for the moist
ground to get sufficiently dry. The inhabitants of them
must run some risk of their health ; and when alluding to
damp houses, I shall shew the amount of ill-health already
known to myself from this source.
To these disgraceful pools studding the unbuilt side
and waste land of this street, the attention of individuals
has for years past been notoriously attracted, without,
however, any specific public complaint that 1 am aware
of. Mr. John Cooper, surgeon, has lately, in a letter
addressed to the Editors of the Mercury, endeavoured to
rouse some degree of public notice and remedy of so
great an evil: He pointed out the neglect by authorities
of their plain duty, or by the public at large of their plain
interests, in allowing such a multiform nuisance to exist.
He mentioned the practice of drowning dogs and cats in
these waters, and there leaving them to putrify, as a most
reprehensible thing, and to which the activities of the
police ought to be turned, in order to prevention. I would
undertake to point out the carcases of from 20 to 30 dogs
and cats in the pools flanking Crown-street alone, taking
the whole length of it. In one of the largest of these
pools I observed, the other day, a similar ebullition of
marsh gas to the Chatham-street pool.

I am thoroughly disgusted with our filthy subject; but
it is needful that the public should be equally disgusted,
in order that the pestiferous nuisance may be abated.
Medical men would do well if they would make some
combined representation to our governments, local or
national, regarding the demonstrable causes of fever and
other diseases ; chewing how the presence of noxious
effluvia—where even it has not actually developed disease
—yet impresses upon any disease otherwise sprung an un-
favourable character, baffling the most scientific treat-
ment, and retarding convalescence.
vdoferemfavrnioeenocrreeetdoiovrf l
leid a letter from a highly-respectable sur-
geon, calling my attention to the fact that during the epi-
demicon localities.
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inss o me
than
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nea
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pmbheroootlrtrdveeheeradrt-edious than even the ordinary slow return to health
of this epidemic fever. He says—" Without recurrence
of fever the patients appeared to continue in a state of
passive debility, and would have sunk under such debility
without the administration of strong nutritive diet.'
\Vine had to be substituted for medicines, " with the
greatest possible good to my patients." And he continues
remarks which I shall quote, because they confirm from
another witness the tenor of my observations. " Now
look at the locality. On the opposite side of the street
were two or three stagnant pools of water, in which the
little boys and girls were wont to amuse themselves by
sailing their boats, and otherwise striving unknowingly to
imbibe by the best means in their power the latent influ-
ences of fever; the play of children ending, as it often
does, in sorrow and death. Ido not see any good reason
why the owners of waste lands, instead of allowing them
to remain as such, should not be compelled to drain them
properly. If we look around us, and take the pains to try
to find out the fertile sources of fever, I think, without
any doubt, the individual exertions will soon lessen to a
great degree the existence of such a scourge." I have
myself seen one of these same pools one moving mass of
animal life—the red larva of a kind of fly : the putrid car-
cases of dogs in the pool were clearly the nursery of these
metamorphosingitswn interests a
oheths io gs ifthe public is so unmindful of
express itself with indifference
touching the evidence brought forward in these letters,
and I know that such has been the case, and that too by
parties wearing the distinctions of office, at least let the
medical profession be exe,nerated from the charge of keep-
ing them in ignorance 'of facts which one would think even
common sense could read. The pond in Chatham-street
contains abundance of large animalculte, the offspring, in
common terms, <of vegetable decay.
I reraain, Sir, yours, faithfully,
GEO. C. WATSONI M.P.
BoVord .street, May 29..