Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-02-15
BAD AIR.

In an interesting paper by DIR. w. c.
Van Bibber, and which is to appear in the
forthcoming annual report of the Mary
land State Board of Health, the question
of neutralizing malarial influence is treated.
The statement is reatfirmed that malaria ia
not confined to any particular district or
section. In houses malarial effects are due
to ill-ventilated apartments, damp cellars
and cesspooIs. In cities they arise from
sewers, cesapools, uncleanliness and proven
ton of air circulation by the high walls o.
streets and alleys, and by deterioration of
the air by radiation Of heat from walls and
pavements in summer, and the exhalation
of factories, slaughtering yards, refuse col.
lections, and sstaration of the earth from
ill-itted drains and gas pipes at all times.
All these things, this sanitarian claims,
may be remedied, provided citizens will
lend more determined hand in the mat
ter. To lessen the deteriorating quality of
the air from heat radiation, he advises gar.
den cultivation on the tops of back build
ings, stables, low warehouses, etc. He
urges liberal tree cultivation, but condemns
ash and white mulberry trees for city uses,
preferring the female alsnthus and chest
nut. For bad air generally there is, he de-
clares, but one specific, cleanliness. The
leaders in government must patiently edu-
cate the public how to be clean. II the
surface of the earth exhales bad gases in a
city it is because noXious matter is permit.
ted beneath it. This must be remedied,
and it is the only remedy. Cesspools, he
AYERS, are the worst of all nuisances. Their
increase enlarges the danger to health in
vastly disproportionate ratio. Ia Balti-
more hefoundi in g, 600 acres no less than co..
600 sinks. The daily deposits of the people
of city, if retained in the earth, rapidly
augment a state Of unhealth. Can such
matter be removed at reasonable cost He
believes it can, and that population may
be familiarized with, and brought to the
adoption OF the necessary methods, diff.
cult as the problem may seem. He believes
the work can be accomplished for one.third
of cent per day per individual. If this
is a correct estimats, the inventive genius
Of Americans should be equal to the task.
He cites the fact that in Bolton, Scotland,
where there are residing log. 600 people,
the dangerous solid matter is daily, or
nightly, collected, removed and utilized.
The liquid matter it il not difficult to
chemically neutralize.
AS preventive of malarial effects,
where the source is from low lands, the sub
merged sections where possible should be
filed, and low lands thoroughly drained
off. But in all malarial districts, so-cslled,
the best fever and sgue preventives are
temperance in eating and drinking, avoid
ing in summer entire suits of linen cloth
ing; persistent drying of the air of sleep
ing.rooms by fire morning and night
erection of dwellings so far above the
ground as to permit perfectly free circula.
ton OF air beneath; filtering and boiling
drinking water drainage of premises
cleanliness about houses and yards high
trimming of trees about houses, especially
on sides facing healthy localities removal
OF stagnant waters from the neighborhood
of dwellings, and in houses where the
malarial effects are manifest, spray them
literally with carbolc acid for three
months in the year. Some of the sugges-
tons in the psper are new, it will be seen
but the consideration of the subject, and
the remedies, new or old, is profitable at
any time,