Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-02-18

A the Brighton meeting of tbc British
Social Science Association. DR.. b. ". Rich
ardson dccribed an ideal CITY, 50 construct
ed and governed as t) reduce the deaths in
the irst generation TO : per 1000, and in
the succeeding generations ID ) per 1000
yearly. The arrangements are made for
| 100 600 people. lhty live in 10000 houses
on 1 600 acres Of land. The highest houses
have four stories of - feet each, but
the residences have mostly two or three
stories. No cellars or under ground rooms
are permitted. the ce.laragc being uken up
with archcd suhw6ys communicating with
similar subwayS la the streets. Fox con-
structiOn, glazed bricks are used to prevent
the absorption Of water ty the ton during
storms. The bricks are perforated so that cur
rents ialr pass through the walls. Inside,
neither paint, paper, nor plaster l. used.
the bricks beng laid 50 evenly that their
glazed sides form level enamelled wall.
The kitchen and similar Offices are in the
top floor. smoke being taken down though
shafts TO central chimneYs, where it i pass
cd through a gas furnace to produce com
plete combustion OF its carbon. The hot
water boiler being al the top of the house,
every room has hot and cold water without
stint. Bedrooms have 200 cubit feet of
space TO each person, and no unnecessary
articles of furniture or spare clothing are
allowed in them.
The street have suhwsys under the pave
ment, and on one Of these runs ear track
for heavy traffic This subway construc-
ton, combined with the open arches under
the houses. gives a maximum of cleanliness,
economy. and health in the management Of
water and gas distribution and Of sewer
age. Twenty hospitals, of one to !, 900 peO-
pie, are scattered at equal distances through
the city. Public laundries are under the
direct control of the sanitary officers the
washing OF clothing in promiscuous masses
being considered j fruitful cause of disease.
The inhabitants are not obliged to have
their washing done out Of the house, but
the laundry business, so far as It is patron
lied, Is under strict surveillance. For
similar reasons tailors and other mechanics
are not allowed ID DO their work at home,
buildings being provided for them. In the
city neither liquor or tobacco Is sold. The
dead are disposed of by burial, but the
cemetery ground Is filed with highly car
bOnaceous earth, collins are forbidden, and
a heavy growth of trees is kept up.
In this city the author thinks inlantile
diseases. typhus, TYPHOID. puerperal, hospi-
tai, rheumatic and other feyers. and all the
train Of alcoholic complaints, would be
wholly or almost unknown. Smallpox
would be under complete control, while
consumption and parasitic diseases would be
greatly lessened. Over pneumonia, brOn-
chitis, summer complaints, and the round
of children 5 diseases the new city would
have less control. Ii will be observed that
the author considers it impossible to secure
the greatest health ty any system of con-
struction if the people are left to arrange
their own habits of life He therefore calls
on the aid of government to prevent over
crOwding, filthy habits, and the cOmmunlea
tion Of disease by clothing. 1t has been
calculated that II the death-rate could be
reduced to an average of S per 1000 the
average expectation of life would be raised
to Sc years, and the probable mean dura-
tion of life would be l20 years. while old
people would live 10 100. With death
rate of per 900 the expectation of life
would be 1877 years, the probable mean
duration 100 years, and old people $50 years
would be found. DR.. Richardson. how
ever, did not raise this expectations above 80
years as the average length Of life. The
effect upon population of such death-rate
would be simply revolutionary. England
has had for thirty-tye years a mean birth
rate of 80 S per 1000. With loss of per
LOCO the increase would evidently be 26.S,
and in five years "Iygeia, or the city OF
health, would gain 5,3i0 inhabitance by
natural increase. If Immediately built 1t
would double its population before the end
of the century, and in the year 1000 ii
would contain 3, ,45O, 900. Thus, the opera
ton of the perfect health regulations would
seriously affect the balance between popu-
lation, and food production and the death
rate would probably rise again, in spite of
regulations to keep it down.