The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-06-04
OBSERVATIONS RErAm11,'
TOULOUSE SANIT4Tf4ddIING
DIR FRANK h. HAMILrov

To HOUSE. THROUGH THE 1J ID Hocs
SEWER GAS? 'US O
The readers of the Medical n
will remember that in nv ns, uu'si
titled "The Struggle for Life N pei e
Civlhztion," &C.. read beforss 'l0'
Academy of Medicine, Msrcb' ~ "
1882. end published in this ion! lug
| expressed a suspicion" thai I' -,
's:ins, dipbtheris ADD other zVr' 'Ca'
diseases might be conveyed tb.a uoq !
the sewers; and those who wera %
ent during the discussion which ia
sued will remember that DR. r., e.
way challenged any one 10 sbo~ al''
case OF scsrlatina thus conveyed
The suspicion entertained bD
self las for some time been an ~
tanned by others; and mas h.
Expressed publicly by medicgl ny ~
although the opportu tiles for cs..
proving such q fact have been -
In the number of the EQniqy,,, by y
cord of March 10Th, 1882, pnbS.5 !.
in London, and just received !,
very carefully prepared article IN.
the pen of Alfred Carpenter, N n
London, @. G. 8. Cambridge
titled. Some of the conditions Viii.
modify or increase the infecsiye nb..
scter of scarlatins."
DR.. Carpenter says, 81 have n,
long time past bad my opinions a,
the causatioL of scsrlatins. and J,
the conditions which modify q, !.
crease its infectious character. Tb..
opinions have been based upon .,
experience which has not been ma,
roWed, or restricted to enc distsias
He then proceeds to give resume +
a personal investigation and stujvg
four severe outbreaks OF scarIs,inr
all of which. IN spite OF the most n
ergetic sanitary measures, conlipr9
to recur at longer or shorter in!er7,i
until the connection with ihe sewer
or with sewage sinks were severn
and the epidemics disappeared elm
gether.
All of these outbreaks occurred
private or public school houses. h
the fret example the school bonn
was connected with al sba1dcs
cesspool, on seVeriDg which eonue,
ton the disease promptly and perup
nently disappeared; sndDr. Carpeu.g
remarks: 1T must be evident hl
the cesspool in the school yard wash
timately associated With tbs resppa,
ance o. s,srla!ins; that it Contsina
some material which continued b
vitality OF the disease germs"
The second example was in Ihs dsm
of a private school. Three success
i've outbursts of scarlstina occurred,
until the "wster- closet was taken
away altogether" Since Which time
1t has not Teappeared, DoR q period
OF nearly eight years.
"The third set of cases appeared in
an elementary school. After Iruiilsa
attempts to expel it, 81 came
to the conclusion" Gays d.
Carpenter, that the fault IN
the construction of the sewer
system. which | am about to detail
to you, was the foundation Of tbs
epidemic. F"
The fourth act of cases was 10
school connected with q large pau
per establishment. 1--WE know,
says D.. Carpenter, "how scarlstIi
gained admission to the infrmaH
The Wssbings and excrets Of I'd.
patients naturally found admission
he sewer, and l proved that Their
vas 9 current up the sewer sOms
imes."
Finally DR.. Carpenter remark
what inference do l draw from tines
ases?" Il is, that the causatiG
t scsrlstina may az often arise lroH
eWage emanations, and sewage COZ
amlnated with the scaTlatins germ
8 from personal contact"
DR.. Carpenter also states that b
ss on several occasions conneCIG
utbresks Of diphtheTiG with certs1
of the sewers.
To which the writer adds-cor
ldering the we'll known fact that thl
erms of scarlatina and OF all zymr
&c diseases are nourished and mutt.
lied by warmth and filth, it HO1s
Gem probable, indeed almost oeItsis
hat the germs of disease might b
onveyed in this way from house :
ouseS However startling the sug
,estion may be, it hardly becomes d
} conceal from ourselves and ib'
ublIc the fact that things are pOs''
le and even probable.
THE SINS OF THE PLUWBER,