The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-08-20


Il the letters following the ms'seSs
hxo,,cbt under confederation BY hcu: sIe
fuftler discussed, and Two members o. '.s
eedjcsi profession take TIE opportunity W
netweY Noes Femaf<s upon tneiI iolu e1,s
Recommendations. Sewers, sewer.Rss, "c'',,
and welLwsfer are the cniei topies. % "a
~fsS,l.s IN the city mag have soinetbIngto 90
~v,th snsurIno the purity 81 the atmosphere
srS r,yss some reasons for bis opinion:
hector ID - Mc1.
a. "a. 49,, o,sbf;cov should be the en-
ncbjiug principle OF our nves' 70 e
-s,"h III private interests that are known
q sos.eonize should be made suosefvient.
,rhe,sfore we would he recresnt 10 ,pe
srnst imposed upon US by the relation we
Mar 10 the community as citizen and phy-
sIrIsn did we not oppose such measures %
unuyke<sary or impossible 81 accomplish
nxnt when the object Is simply to CRAFTY
81 unsustained theory.
when NEG, through your generous
columns. exprtgsed hts conUscttons OF tne
causes OF diseases in this city, did ne sup.
mort bis position by any arguDentl Din
he give us any statistics 10 show that par
flies usipg water from the city springs, Mr.
Dayis's well. OF the boarders at me hotei.
were made sick by itf How, snd wnv
Besides. has be Informed the public OF Tue
Irregularities OF these waters, or OF tne coui'
posjtjon OF sewer.gas, that 1ustlnes DIM III
claiming that these are the causes OF u.s.
easef Notwithstanding be invited discus
s,or on these supposed csuses. yet, without
the Ienst defence, he now declines TO DIS
euss this subject with one who denies tna'
sswer-eas Is poisonous, or with one VINO
states that wells and springs are not
iniurtd bv contact with sewers"
WHY. Messrs. Editors, this Is begging the
ousstion. He would have only one SIDE 20
tbe questionable afirmstiye--and ne hsm-
self on that side.
Again be says: al would rs soon think
OF discussing some natural law Win one
who denies The law Of grssitation," &c.
NcG. himself unwittingly denies the law OF
grsyitaiion when be says "when bsrIei
OF water would Oil the trap aud stop the
escape Of gas" II is in defence Of q
Natural lar that deny this new philosophy
that would make The specific gravity OF
water less than that Of atmospheric air, or
4 mixture OF 1t With the gases. DO a.
tempt 10 overthrow accepted theories ana
10 present new one when l declare tnat,
or account Of the very law OF grsyilafion
why should we be grievousy taxed IN tue
mere experiment OF It.? AS sewer-sas Is
shown 10 be untrapped, Is II producing
disease?
Whsteyer may be the cause OF our occa.
slonsl bad health, think 10 my first 1t was
shown that sewer gas could not be. Pardon
me for mentioning here what omitted 10
state before, showing how inert sewer-gas
- Ia IL ban hat ba
some OF the cban-gang about every week to
elean out the so-cslied trapped mouths OF
sewers at the street corners. These unfor-
inmate ones 20 deep down into these traps
and spend hours in tbem-a most excellent
opportunity for a thorough impregnation OF
Abe system; yet am told that these men
are as healthy as the residents OF the noun
tsin.top! II they were diseased by this
imposed duty, what an inhuman act what
barbarous cruetyi
Il II good logic TO take the rarest excep-
Mons TO establish ruler Is ii in keeping
with science to assign chief cause when
ihe effects are multitudinousf Does stryeh-
MIA produce different symptoms indicating
is poisonous effects In different persons
and arc we to have Is many sntidotss as
there are casesi
A. Nee. selected your columns through
which the public might be Informed Of his
views, Of course bad to avail myself ire
luctantlyl Of your kindness In msking these
replies. II for the public good sud for the
advancement OF science Nee. Is dispose(
70 discuss these subjects ailuded to, anC
will allow o negative side, | shall be glad Il
meet him in some medical journal, and shall
continue TO extend to him the same courtesy
In the future ss have In the past. d.
stables and Horsss.
Is IL said that there are more horses in
Richmond than any other town OF Its siz'
Ia the whole country. May not this have
some influence on the health OF the people
Can men and horses live and sleep Gu the
pame premises (80xl40) and be healfhyf A
very large proportion OF our stables art
private ones, kept by lazy servants, many
without floors, and no surface drainage
built Of brick, without proper ventilation,
scarcely large enough to hold the borses
Inio these horses are jammed all the h0i
night, aud when In the morning the doors
ere opened out rusbes volume of heated
and f~tid air, which stiles the lungs Of
Ak passers.
There are stalled on the square on which
I live twenty horses on one alley. Some OF
horses; others are dray- and wagon horses,
occupying rented stables, which the owner
d the premises never looks into because be
has parted with the privilege by renting
them out. There are about one hundred
people on this equare, making one horse 10
every i've persons. Ought these people 70
expect hoalthy
IL 10 often said that the offal from horses
b not unhealthy; but who has offered 10
prove III 6eu have driven hogs out Of the
city tor good reasons. i DO not propose to
do this with hofses, but I propose TO put
stables undeS the care OF o city Official,
whose duty shall be To see to 10 that every
etabie. private or public, shall be kept as
clean IS the streets and alleys are (Which Il
not ssking nuch). Give the officer the
manure for kfs services. aud be will be wei
paid. "Thk officer need not be doctor
soeactju1es think that the health officers o.
town shox<d not be docter. They are
cot TIE most practical OF Esen. keel
horses on 2y premises, xnd therefore an
somewhat impartial In giving this opinion
- Il viii operate against mig iaierest.
10 looking for the causes which produc'
sickness let every man pat ca his glasses
ond examine ais own premises. B,
- xhe Thesssand Mans Arx~mens''
seall only ask for space enough 10 yoel
1ibersl paper 70 answer MEG. on DIS versioS
OF my "thoMsnd-man argument Wbef
Moo attempts 10 answer mg argument bs
dIstorting 1t be feels and knows that he can.
uot st&nd open xnd fair discussion. siates
81 your issue Of fbe 17th that could fur.
nlsh <he uamfs Of over one Thousand per-
sons who bad usssd well-water for from Eve
\ 20 twen&y.6ye years In this city without the
1IIehsest injury 20 their health. Noms
Me(f. Upuid bsse II appear that these
~ thousand healthy persons picked out
don among muitltude OF sick sDd dying