, 1879-05-25

of physical suffering sewer,sas has oceasioned can
never be told. Death has been dealt cut By H.
million from this sewage emanat,on. One half OF
the DEATHS froul xyrnotic diseases are due to IN
effects OF bad drainage; and now our City Father
not only propose, but are actually emptyng thts
sewage -sas, with Ill its deadly polson, directly
with toxic agents that to many that cannot res{sf
disease certain death Is being inhaled at ever
breath.
this sewage elnanaton that now to take the pacs
OF our God-gyen atmosphere and we are to lu1n-
ria,e in. like bacteria and infnsorta We ttsthavs
gases of suiphurated hydrogen, caroureted hydro
gen nitrogen, carbon5c acid, carbonic oxide, ca.bo
nmmoniacal vapors, ammonia: and other sub
stances. These sases ''nre liberated in stasnant
cubic inches pc. gallon per hour, the
quantity being susceptible OF great increase .
Sy @
to u By the microscope millions aud millions Of
living bacteria. umnb1, infnsoria. fungi, etc.
These are capabie Of nourishlasnt. growth, and
80 light that they lifted into the atmosphere by
the smallest currents OF air, and their natural
habitat, Or home, is wsteEy vnpos he,e 5hsy llve,
their nature, and al they want IS the indua to
hutch and multiply, and this they ind IN the lungs,
blood. and sscretons OF the human body. 1he
natural role, OF function OF these hactcrlA is to
act as contagium carriers. and thus produce dis
ease.
'sDavine 1nnoculated rabbits with blood, which
oceans OF putrid blood in our sewers). and there
fore was rich IN bacterial life. He found that tho
iuuoculalion OF single drop would sometimes causa
death, and that fifteen drops were certainly fatal.
He then tried successive lnnocu!ations from ope
septicnmic animal to another, and he found that
one -hundredth Of drop was sufficient to XIII
the fifth rabbit, tweqty- -thousandth Of drop the
tenth. while for tbs twenty J-hfrn rabbit the one
teu-tilhoath OF drop was some: e:imes fatal. These
experiments were verlhea By large number Of
expcrimenters, ana the minimum dose that Woul1
certainly kill. after having passed through twenty
i've animals, w4s fixed at one-ten- -mlllioneth OF
drop. "Each successive innoculatlon developed mora
this proved that theY were the poison, and that It
also proved that the mycehc OF fungold theory oa
disease wss the true on; s9d he has many follow
Diseases caused BY sewer gases arc always Of IL
infectious kind. The first victim takes the dls-
ease from the sewage vapor through the mouth
second takes from the breath or eecretona Of ths
irst VICTIM and It's reproduction goes on u In IN
noculations Of bacteria cited above.
The yirulence OF sewage poison does not depend
as much upon any known condition OF the gas ~
upol the personal condition Of the victim, such II
state Of health ace, and habits OF hte oten con.
taminoted atmosphere may be breathed with in.
punity in active exercise, rs shown By the 600
worknen IN tue sewers OF Paris. who are generally
exempt from zymotle diseases: Bat U the person
in q state OF rest, its effects are soon shown.
Theee rcntilating man. hole covers are 80 per-
forated that the sewage gases pass readily through
oughiy. The only question for us TO settle is, Can
We discharge so much sewage gas with Its poison
ous matter into the centre OF our streets and tho
air will SO purify and dilute 1t that when the dwell
ings are lled it will prove inocuouss It seems u
il these gases. instead OF entering the houses IN
retail doses, were being emnhed wholesale into
our doors and windows. True, the gas prepAredi ii
our house. drains is taken of, and this danger il
gone, but the enemy enters our houses IN greater
Quantities than eyer, and We ought TO test thls
only on one street until tlw demonstrated 10 be
an actual fact that we could pour out with inpu-
nifty all our sewer gases IN the centres OF taa
streets and dcletcEious effects follow, esptcat-
to the city OF these yentilat1nR covers. rhete an
15 500 holes in tac City OF Chicago to be
cred and it costs sig for each m4n-hole when
complete. Multiply Is. 500 BY twelve and we get
the large suni % OF slsg, asss ooo'.sonsthlnS
am we'll aware that our city authorities will say
that similar rentilatiny covers been tried IL
London and New York City, and proved SUCCESS;
hut such assertions do not settle the question for
Chicago. The fall O: water tscwage> in the main
sewers Of London is six inches to the 100 feet
New York City from two to Six inches, and Chlca-
20 only one inch to the 100 feet Now 1t stapds
to that there will be from three to s1 times
more gus evolved from our CHICAGO sewer1 than
account Of the difference in the velocity of tha
sewage; for certainly the slower it travels the
greater the amount .! gases emitted and, v1te
versa, the fasterit travels th. smaller the amount
of gases evolved. And II our sewcts should be-
come clogged, which would be an easy matter foz
them to do from the slow motion Of the sewage,
the effects could not be otherwise than fatal to
many Of our citizens. Let any one who wishes 60
and stand over one OF those man-hole sennlatots.
and he will be soon satisfied OF the amount Of Gus
constantly escaping and the nausea1ing ELECTS OF
the atmosphere surrounding them
WILLIAM Fl. BUET u. D.