New-York tribune., 1874-01-27
DRAINAGE ON MANHATTAN.


DRAINAGE ON MANHATTAN.
MEETING OF THE COUNTY MEDICAL s0CIETY-M0R-
TAIIrY OF THE CITY AND oNR OF IT'S MAIN
CAUSES.
A stated meeting of the Medical Society OF
| the County of New-York was held at the College OF
Physicians and Surgeons. at Twenty-thrd-st and
Fourth ave. last evening" DIR. Ellsworth Eliot presided
Drs Willard Parker, J. Marion Sims, @. NJ Smith, John
T. Metcalf, and II. b. Sords appointed committee
to solicit subscriptions for o monument In Memphis TO
the members Of the medical profession who died during
| the prevalence Of yellow fever In that city.
Dr. A. b. Judson read the annual report Of the Com
mittoe Diseases BY this 1t appears that the grand
total OF deaths 10 NewYork in the year ending Dec 3d.
1873 90ji, against J1G47 in 1sI2 and an average IN
the preceding 1--WE years OF T,37os These 29oco deaths
were divided among the five classes as follows
zrmoie 1888; constitutional 62a3; local 1854 develop
ner. $50 ,oss c S ..ss ga;s. $685. % i. s isl
.venge Of 4s7 the preceding Eve ya diphhena 11sed
ss,. .s .s'':
.1.s. 'si s ss5 df.S
i5l dsai6. There and IS death. from drown
,St ~ He ~ @s Seas Of Children under year. o 1895
20 The following Of eonagoa, diseases ws reported
ieye 'a' S7s7 @ nese ioSi dphshsis 55i sn.peI 800
report Of the Committee Hygiene, made by the
Chairman, Dr. Morcau Morris, upon the subject OF
request of the Committee of the State Medical Society
was then read by him. After explaining the meaning of
the term drainage" the report proceeds:
In the settlement OF individual or community upon
any new territory the question OF its drainage Is OF inc
fr.t mportance Sewerage may also become subject
OF consideration. The continual health OF the individual
of the community depends upon the proper ~ drainage
OF the natural soil, while the question OF sewerage
awaits rhe force Of circumstances, without perhaps
beng Indispensable to continued health. wafer
saturated soil cannot be dwelt upon and maintain per-
feet health; therefore proper drainage becomes becomes
| xrff IA "a
Drainage is that system method by which the IN,
necessary or superabundant water may be removed
from the soil which aas or may become saturated. IL
may be Of natural or artificial means or by conpha
tion both. The natural topography may DE such az
TO require little ali Iom art in perieeting the d
age vi section OF country whe Oh Tue obci hanu .l'
alone NAV bo able to SO drain to render IL habitu-
ally healthy Therefore, among the first conditions pre-
sented in the selection OF ho fOr human 9ccupaoS 80
tneqeto Of it's sHbstratum or geological forna
ton Natural water-courses assisted Dy ar,, oien IA
ford the best for draining saturated so, ana
should be ost sight OF, In any artificial a1pta,
ton Too often an gnorant ihterisrenee MIN si
dents Water will not flow up lil," ana always
finds its level and unless 1t nds an oute' nat
ural or artificial will saturate adjacent SOIL
A laInontabe example OF this occurred a few years
ago SoyeutyDftbst; aud Thriaye.,, wisre rn sonc
builders permanently obstrueied natural water
and caused the submergcnce ana st.ura.oh Vi io,o @
than Is OF roil mat hsa pesn 1indu ~ ~ for
yiOusy. The result was tn aiius. s',ay f nisnn
several blocks around suffered with malarla poison,
ponular idea That lling D earth upon saturated soil
preeludes the necessity OF deep dranaso mas prouu',
Is almoet impossible TO remedy. No Statistics
illustrations, arguments are needed I'D te present
healtbiuess of saturated soil for bninan haDitatOn
very large proportion OF human aimchlr can 70 aee
directly or indirectly TO it, Influence. Even wafer
atmosphere directly tends TO increase mortal
dence during the recent ong;Oninued aud dense foSs
by the mortuary statistics oI this county Whle horlu
AIRY tables oxnlOt only sul portion OF the influences
of REORGANIZATION, saond not forget the sickness
and impaired health which have been the direct ana
indirect consequences. IT,, - l., a.,o, ,, r.hioh
streams are made source OF disease, may De enumer
ated tue grading and avenues across the e OF
natural GraInsge without making provision by cuverts
for passage OF water III lts naturai ocn nhS up
boueyards win refuse aud garbage, causing rermt-
nSWt OF decolnposing orgnc natter wncl Tor
all time remains to add ied character 10 tne eXnda
tions wnich arse and MAKING use VI A"'~" s
Gen f. H. yiele in report to The Board oi HealtI ~
1870 gives notable Instance OF TINS IN one OF our ppo
hygeuc ins citations the BiOomlngdae hnatc Asylum
situated upon high ground, between lenh ana E'Hn %
eutlaves. the Hudson Rver stream heaI i Ii,J
institution has used AS receptacle Tor az lts iquu
refuse THIS stream pasnfs 'ny r u II
low. swampy ground enptles lnt9 pond ,' zoe June
In the neghborhood Of tins pond levers OF malignant
type have prevailed for years Hardly person within
the radius OF nal milo has escaped the deietrl0u5
effects Otncr instances lie enumerates equally striking
in their direct effects upon fe In laying ont railroads
and highways, canals or other Internal Improvements
through any section Of country natural drainage
streams constantly obstruced and stagnant ponds
upper poroa OF thc country lying above Fifty ynntht,
FOR many years past fevers nermttent remtent, and
With recent improvements in drainage and sewerage,
already these forms Of disease becoming less preva
Ient Yet SO many undrained sections s exist, in con-
nectlon wit acres OF sollsaturlted areas that
wears ease before the sources Of these fcvers Will
lie entirely removed The report concludes by pointing
out the fact that Health Commissioners permit the
filing in Of all tne marshy lands OF Harlem Flats witn
the refnse garbage Of the city. and concurs with the
opinion of state Committee that the work OF primary
Importance il drainage,
Dr. A. y. Bell Of Brooklyn, Chairman OF the Committee
OF the State Medical Society expressed his qualification
NTH nr Morri.'s ne
"a responses county medical societies. snd three or
four re ports have made while more are expected
soon. DIR. Bell then went on to speak Of drainage IN
Brooklyn and in Kings County the condition of which,
he SAID was much worse than that OF Nev-York In
that county are OF decicnty drained
land and careful investigation shows that onefth Of
the mortality the city OF Brooklyn is due to
defective drainage.