Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1857-05-26

II i. important 10 remember siiEt the water CLOSETS
of this hotel were the resort of hundreds aa.1
had no right as residents of the house !" .naa ,be,
lsge. the amount of human excreta day tiiu, ;,h
have been enormous, As the cIty Wa h :orra
strangers, in antclpatic: OF the coming ihAuE"''
ton
During the period of warm weather the "'nng I y,
OF the house and piazzas were opened Freely "u s
course the general ventilation OF the mouse Wv"
greatly improved. When the weather DecaW" We. /,
cold again ta intensity compelled the occupants ~
keep their windows closed whilst, al the SANS .''ue
the condemnation Of the air aud vapors IN the e' M
bers by the same rod concentrated the masm WIFI
the warm weather had previously diintth' =. n" Ill
ton 10 the we'll known unhealthy gases "hirh -"
chemirts admit do arise from the decomposition VI
animal and vegetables matters, "a in sewers &C, y
now believed that there ia exhaatIon OF putrn OF
ganc matter in the state of most inhnifesima suoe
vision which is cast off in clouds and suspenh-d 10
the gases and ntermingled atmospheric air. E1Peri
ments have been made of cendensing by colo sucn
exhalations: but the resulting fluid, charged WIN .e
putrd matter, was o! offensive character mat te
examining chemist WAS compelled To desisI from HE
operations. We might here dwell for moment upon
the difference of the effects of vegetable ana amman
decomposition. Medical authorities designate tnOse
exhaations from vegetable decay malaria, ana the
effects Of These the veil known bilious reIntten'
and intermittent f-vers, &c.
Sanitary Investigations, a. in London especially
have shown that the Diseases which have cshr aho
well defined connexion with the ether or teral mmsm
are su mmer darrhGi, dysentery, and Typhoid lever
By this il meant diseases produced by e1haia''o"f
from prIvies cssspools, and badly drained sewers
So well is this danger known in the city OF rnrs
where much intestinal disease always prevail, that II
il positively forbidden 10 establish between houses
and the public sewers openings or communicating
pipes through which may be discharged the mouse
hold waters or the contents OF prves In conneAloi
U IN this subject it may be stated that the celebrated
Parent Duchstelet expressly advises that the work
men employed in sewer cleansings should be ttlos'
accustomed to such labors and tina. they be wen ieo
clothed, &c. .,.
rhr sanitary commissioners of London report tina
the abdominal forms of fever found i'll places un
visited by scsvengers and those without Sewers OF
if sewers exist, where there Is no supply OF water u
cleanse them. Another report OF the same coInmls
sinne,s shows that The tracks of cholera and typhn
were there Identical, and the local conditions ~hcl
favor the spread ami increase the intensity OF these
and all kindred msladrs everywhere sIuiIlar.-
The distinguished DR.. Guy, of London, who has DE
voted his life Ia sanitary reform, has said that kno"
ing where the greatest mortality from typhus, ~
nbod fever. diarrhea and cholera exist he coulC
map out accurately the of the great sewers
London. =,
In report of the Commissioners of Health il
London il WAS demonstrated that tever of this pc
cuar abdominal character WINS colnciGent with th'
course of badly drained private sewer. Boys a
the Westminster School were made Ill by playing u
The grounds upon which seven OF the gratiDgs iron
this badly drained sewer were opened. The surgeon
of the Dean of Westminster reports tha even ih"s'
bows who did not sleep at the school were hif=cef
II. bim-.lr was attacked by Nausea vomiting. ant
diarrhp. with peculiar fever, from passing by th-s'
drains and with another case reports that I" gen
tlernan who had NAUSEA, vomiting, dIafrlGl, mn
febrile disturbance BY only passing one oi theee gul
ly hoias.' ,.,.,
dapt and whore strangers always suffer from '!iar
rbn. at their frat coming, 1t ia shown that lhiianma
ton and liberation ofhe intestinal canal IA trtquen
complication of disease. The famous DR.. FORBES, "
London, editor of one of the must Influential Jour
nails in tn. medical world, has always expressed IN
ouuon tina, ilscal masrn il sufficient 10 develop
continued fever and this morbid state at the bowels
In many parts of London it has been shown thai
the sewers wers but elongated csSSpoctS ana Only
empted By freshets. the mortality stat'sics showed
that there was relation betw cen the lnIasmata and
the existing Diseases when death. from didrrh"a
were at the 1naeimum those from typh"s wero AT d
minimum. falling from 80 to 10.
During the summer the mortality from diarrtcs1
n0s at ITS height at The very time when the amour
of rniasmaa IN the ar of London would be the great
est; that is. when. from want OF flooding rs''' me
Accommodations in the cesspools ana sewers WINS tne
greatest and when from the temperature the ueco'
position would ne the greatest. thus a'tef hea'y
rain which secured out The sewers. we :lnd dmthn
ton of morialy from darrhea aone from !Oo 10 -
IN we'k
II has been we'll known that the e1hslaions from
sewers have produced gangrene IN wounds ~ pa
tienfs in hO.pitais who exposed to these hiuVh
In one of thu HOSPITALS Of Paris il is on record that
the mortality is greatest when the wind blew toward
it from the opening of the sewers OF that c.iy.
The data this suDjecf might oe renupioaeh' ou'
think sufficient matter has been adduced tor retec-
ton As no cass hare pr0r"d tnta hsre, does II not
give riSe TO the suggestion you made me that iness
cases being considered elsewere rs those NJ lisrai
poisoning may, from the andoles administered nave
been aggravated in their character.
ltisamost singular fact that III the city where the
disease originated, sing death has Deei report
ed a striking peculiarly OF th!s darrhr' wht INC
tendency TO relapse long after the patient mad been
removed from the house in which the mineral poison
ing might have been supposed to have occursen.
Rumors have reached ul that in persons who died
elsewhere, the mucous membrane OF me stomach pre-
snnted appearances of corrosive acton; but OF THIS
wa have no single authenticated instance as yet
The idea has been thrown out that arsenic was the
cause; but the best French authorities are positively
against the continuous action OF arsencal poisoning
when the patient has longer been exposed TO nay
doses of the poison 0ril9 and Chain state that ar'
s.bic when absorbed, does not remain indefinitely 10
the systern but ID entrsy eliminated trom III twelve
or fifteen days provided the fluids drank each day do
not exceed French pint" a chemical friend siS'
rested 10 me that il the walls of portions OF the house
were covered with paper cOlored with Scheels green
for the arsene of cOpperl the train ot symptoms IN
some rare cases might be satisfactorily accounted Tor
by the action of the sewer air upon II.
There is a standing committee ut the Board of
Health on this subject and should new data or lypo'
thases arise 10 cause any alteration Of their views, we
will promptly place them before the public
believe me, most respectfully yours
ROBERT KING STONE, III. u.