St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1874-03-13
Concerning Sewage.

each other the relation OF cause ana
effect or. to express it more exactly.
filth. in its variouS forms of sewage.
srw,r-gaS. surface water. and dccayng
animal and vegetable matter, Is the
cause of a vast amount of disease. 1t
acts both as :. predisposiug and as
determining cause. In small quantity
il lowers the general health of Il family
or of Il community, taking the color
from the check. aud the elasticity from
the step. DESTROYS the tone of the SNS-
TEN. and in this way prcdispoSes It's
Victim to attacks of definite and active
disease: while in larger quantity II
piodttcs the most fearful of mdladleS.
Cholera. typhoid and typhus fever,
dNscntery. and many other similar dis
eases. are produced by using water. or
breathing air. contaminated with hlth.
Whence comes the filth, do you ASK +:
1t comes from Scrers which dl>g"r9e
their fetid and SETTLING roI tents III
to lakes and rivers from which our wa
ter supply Is obtained: If comes from
c,'SSDOOiS whose contents find their Way
INTO wells and springs. or whose over
flow comes to the surface, and p"lsons
the air with its uni>ome emauationS.
hich literally .'smcll To heaven it
comes from storm Water which washes
the surface of the ground, and passes
without impediment into wells and
springs, and other sources of water
suppl, it comes from sinks and barn
Yards: it comes in the form of sewer
gas which Frequently forces itself
through inefficient traps and detective
waste pipes. and spreads its >ichlH "d"r
through our houses.
Let me GIVE 4 few casts III iiin>Ira-
ton. At Il Young ladies Summary III
PittSlicld. Mass. Il few NcauS ago. there
occurred AN epidemic of typhoid tcvrI ::
sixty or seventy of th, inmates Mere
attacked almost simultaneously The
city and surrounding country were al
thc time nearly OF quite exempt from
the disease. circumstances pointing 50
strongly to some local cause. an luNc>-
LEGATION was made. and the fact dis
closed that Il communication had Inc
come established between the sewer
and the we'll from W hich the institution
vt~ supplied with water.
The Nilhauk Prison. London. bad
been noted for wears for it, rpidcnlc>
of typhoid fever and dN>'ntcIN. IT.
water supply WAS from the Thames.
1t having been suggested that there
might hc Il connection between these
frequent outbreaks of disease and ;hr
waicr used by the rri~oncl>. an ate
sian well MAS sunk and Institution sup
piled from il. With the advent of pure
water. fever disappeared.
Dr. John EWru>. al England. relates
the following case: "ln the Splin@ of
- b
epidemic of typhoid fever of a VERY
severe character. appeared i'll the ham
let uf " hutc"mhc. 1t WAS entirely
confined t. the inhabitants of the
houses which obtained their drinking
water from Il we'll. Situated immrdi-
atcly opposite the doors of three cot
ta%c>.( thc mouth of which WAS much
below the level of the surrounding
ground. and consequently easily admit
ted the flow OF refuse matters. thrown
out of the HOUSES, into the we'll. Adj
Joining houses which obtained water
from other sources were free from dis
ease; and the ueighhoIing village of
Whitrhurch. with which there was con
slant communication. was absolutely
free from typhoid. with the exception
of Two men who worked at W hat
connie. aud were accustomed 10 take
their mid day meal ut Il cottage near
the well. and doubtless drank of the
water. Suspicion soon fell upon the
well. which being examined wa> found
i'll Il very impui" state.
In the London Lancet for November
Goth. 1870. occurs the following: In
l>lington at u certain dairy the milk
cans were washed with water taken
from Il tank communicating with the
uIHinS. and Il little water OF course
remained behind there was no charge
of gross admlXturc of water with the
milk. The dairNmau himself died of
typhoid. and of one hundred and forty
families supplied with the milk. seven
" contracted the disease. The major
iUy OF the cases occurred III close proX-
unity TO the dairy; hat III one long
road, mile and Il half from the dairy.
there were three families thu> supplied
with milk; tW" of these had typhoid
III them. and they were the only houses
in hich the maladv occurred" Ham
drcds of similar examples have been
collected during the last few Yeas
both in this country and i'll Europe.
II has also hccn observed that in towns
where the Improvements have been
made in the drainage. and in the dis
position of refuse matter. there has al
most always been Il very marked de
( crease in the dcath-ratc. In Carditt.
Eu"land. according Ia the report of DIR.
Buchanan. the dedth-ratc was lowered
/ thirty-two per cent. and at Newport
! hy the same amount: while in both
these places the mortality among chill
dren under one wear of age was very
greatly diminished. Public improve
mcntS in nine English towns were fol
lowed 10y Il falling off in the death-ratc,
from typhoid fever. of from fifty to
Scventy-iINe pei cent.
In fact it has been shown beyond the
possibility of doubt. that refuse matter
by it> presence III water. and by its
noXiuus effluvia in the air. not only
produces great deterioration in the gen
,rdl health OF any community exposed
to il; but i also the direct cause of
fearful mortality. No town OF village
/ whose sinks and sewers DISCHARGE their
contents 10y the roadside. as they do in
50 MANY instances. or whose wells and
cc>S-puol> are located side by side. as
they 50 frequently are. can lay claim 10
/ general h"ulthtulncS~. or exemption
/ from cpidemics: and il is the first duty
of those having the interest of amy
such town or village i'll charge, TO have
enacted and enforced such laws as are
necessary to remedy the evil.
/ 1t is extremely difficult in many cas-
es to decide what disposition shnnld
he made of sewage: but every one
should see To it that the air he brrathes
is free from its ctfiuvia. and that the
water he drinks contains no trace of it,.
/ As general rule it may he Laid down
that all rHe OdOrs are poisonous i: and