The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1886-05-15
Drainage and Sewerage,
AND THEIR HYGGENIc RELATIONS TO
THE COMMUNITY.

e drainage ana beverage,
= AND THEIR HYGGENIC RELATIONS rc
THE COMMUNITY.
- The following is an extract from paper OF
:, the above subject, read before the Schuylkil
| County Homeopathic Medical Society. by DR.
c u. w. Straup, of Shenandoah. Its import
p ance and application TO our town needs &
| comment:
The perfect drainage Of house, and the
t ptrleci drainage OF 4 town means The i'm
, | mcGiate removal 10 a point at some distance
i ilom It's limits Of all waste matters: not onlN
! this, hut the manner Of It's removal clain{
our attention. Ii the drainage is through
pipes ana sewers the fact that ii runs tlrOugh
, is lot sufficient, there must bc thorough
Ventilation and GiSlnleCtion Oi the pipes and
, sewers SoaS TO reduce TO a minimum the pro
ductlon ol dClctcrOuS gases arising from DE-.
J composition of waste matters adhering to the
: lnslur OF the pipes aud sewers. Also an ade-
quaie and suitable provision ior the absolute
: exclusion from the air within the house of the
air from said pipe or sewer.
lhlS, tien Is simple statement of the re-
; qWryments 0i good drainage 1t is founded
on The one object which rave us all improye-
monls, viz, the prevention OF decomposition
OF all refuse matters anywhere in house or
town. 1t Is, however, safe to say that these
conditions are never quite complete, and that
Instances OF perfect work are an execution
lhc Plumbing must be first class, no lcaky
joints, no poor and .ll-arranged conncc ions
between small and larger pipes. The water
supply must be plentiful aud where possible
the current should be rapid.
The precise relations between bad drain
age and ill-heath no man knows
We are not sure OF our footing. There are
doubtless eases of disease attributed to bad
air aud infected drinking water-caused by
the improper disposal Of ofsewerage and wastes
but the extent and bearing Of these influ-
enceS are still very largely a matter of con
lecture, when YOU and | see hundreds of
Roles, Huns and Italians, and al kinds of
natlonalitloS, living IN filth, surrounded by
the worst possible sanitary cOnditions-possi-
bly the water closet siN inches above ground
ana the hole oyelflOwing-thc Slop dram
elmptying into the yard, which latter is low
ana contains perhaps. a greasy. filthy pool,
and the only disinfCctant in use is the sun
shining down upon i and heating il up ana
| the rain washing il into the next lot. / saw
when you see people SAID TO be made in Gods
| image, living IN such an atmosphere, and not
only living but thriving and growing lat,
| then hygiene takes almost a header
| when, upon the other hand, you picture to
| Yourself a town, like for instance the borough
| OF SlatlnEton, in Lchigh county, (where some
| OF MS at least are aCqUamted) With all the ad-
vantagcs for drainage, the water supply sim
| ply grand where everybody tries to,be nchcr
| and cleaner than their neiGhhor, where the
soil is ErWelly and porous, where the sari-
| tary conditions are evidently all that can be
| desired. House, lot. water closet (Which lat
Ter gets halt bushel oi,quick lime the min
|
tDlng else are in first class order, and You
md all the epidemics IN the country there
then hygiene took walk.
Perhaps we are little too apt too look for
mischief in tliiS direction, but as physicians
y Is our hounden duty to examine and inyes- !
tEate AL sources OF disease, as well as tC |
tleat mem and tC do al IN our power for The |
prevention Of disease and for tile promotion |
Oh lllSl-ClaSS drainage and sewerage.
these are both generally accomplished in |
one OF three ways. The former, lSt by water |
I'D a.. L..
plumbing; I'd by some form OF dry cOnsery- |
lncy; 3rd by tile great and only original |
hendlsh prlyy vault, which Is used by from at |
.naSt No TO W per cent. OF the population of
The removal OF liquid household waste is
accomplished first by delivery to public |
sewers, second, by irrigation, and third by |
delivery into cesspools, land in the borough |
Of l;ehlglton by disposal into the back yard, |
back alley, or front gItter.) of all these |
wastes the least! offensive are doing probably |
lhe most harm, The cNcrement Of the typhuIu |
fever patient, Or Of any other patient, or of 10
patient al al, for that matter, Is generally !
sunmaily dealt with. If not for cleanlhrsi
IKE tfs treLi lor oaensiycness' s2ke. Aud, iur
widely disseminated than is that of the com
pafbtNely nOi1enSiNe wastes Of the kitchen |
sink. The trouble begins with the hecoudnlon
OF pntlidity. Focal matter and urine he
come putlid somewhat sooner than the other
wastes OF the household, but the difference is |
only one OF degree, and the latter soon over
9Hcs the former in the fou!ness of its con
Modern convcnlenccs are to n great extent
the bane Of modern society The spigOt and |
tie water closet are the only two essential
thlhgS the plumner offers us The both may
be replaced by the sponge and towel The
stationary wash bowl should 90. As il Is an
aGScgnn!at2r Of fifth, give us tie old-fashioned
top of the water we can pour away. but YOU
cannot let it run Out of the stationary basin. |
IT. auIierts 70 thg sides Besides this sort of
naSln Is TOO handy To pour III all kinks Of rub
DISH. 1nelr overflow pipes are coated with
soap and with eXuNiae OF the skin, which
dCcompoScs and becomes offensive Their
ni,lgs ana chains are almost Invariably foul.
chamber sl0ps should be empticd into the
wafer closet IN the house
IL the house must have bath room let ii
be as near the water closet as possible The
less pipe to the main pipe the better are the
sanitary conditions of the place. Horizontal
ieau pipes running from everywhere in the |
water closer make so many more acCumu-
ialoIS OF MIN, aild so many more openings tor
lhe lOu gases which accumulate in said pipes
to Contlmnate the air in the rooms. The
water closet, aside from perfect plumbing.
should nave plentiful water supply, so thai
'tll waste Is perfectly washed away before
puirllaction takes place. The cleanliness
ana freedom from oliense Of the wafer closet,
or OF any drain or waste pipe, is In prapurti0u |
TO thc frequency with NlliCn il is used and To
through II.
~ NNliNtl tlAN tune atlillAlllIt oil earth and
a'ncSl next alicr water carriage is the best
ana safest system for the removal of human
eNclcmrnto. Under very careful relations
lhS system Is entirely satisfactory. The use
OF dry earth and ashes are also very valuable
~ the room, their use in the close stool of the
sick chamber effects not only an immediate
ahu complete deOrderZpr but also dS.nicct-
ant. \ quart or pint of dry earth at the
bottom ot the vessel to receive the discharge
ana as much To Immediately cover them M
Is always available, handy and very salts
Priry Vduts.-These are nuisances and
necessary evils, OF as before stated, at Least
80 70 go per cent, Of the population OF Europe
ahI Americas Ihey are always the seat of the
lou'st ana most dangerous decomposition;
lhey tt!nt not Only the air and the soil but
the water Ol the soil which goes so often 10
ieed Ile sources Of drinkiug water, and their
local stencil is OF Itself often sufficient 10
slcken 4 graduate OF the manure pie.
me DfGin.-As before stated the liquid :
household wastes are often, perhaps, much
more deletcrlous to health than is commonly ,,
supposed. They consist almost inyariably Of
a hood OF water containing "A small percentage
ui refuse lood, NTH from the laundry grease, q
,.nt ltnhg IN la.t teNcepl, perhaps, ,fOeca q
mater ana tde COarSer garbage and 1
dShtS, IN places where sinks in Kitchens are |
Sipplicd with pipes, the pipes should be
small. so that the whole inside OF the pipe is
washed whenever water runs through. Again
me pipe should not be vertical but should
Slope, Through vertical pipe the water
lows ny a lorliofy motion and the grcase
liz
me way, II does not matter what YOU do or
nov good you make it. The grease congeals
anu blocks up the pipe 50 that there is hardly
room for any water 10 flow through Sink
pipes are perfect nuisance and need A great
deal OF care and attention.
fuhllc or private sewers, draining drain
pipes, %c., are more OF less good then, or bad
entirely, according tO their condition Tile
mousse We live IN should be built somewhat
juttr TINS iasniun. ~ should be situated in
town orcily that IS adapted tor public sewer ,
age win plenty of illl and plenty Of water
me NE water closet On the second story floor
should not be hUilt too tight. SO IL can be !
thoroughly ventilated, The srat-hGlc Should |
not hr closed but open, &c; the seat should | I
sg IaiSgd so a. 20 give Bsnly of room for he
OF the bowl the better No Olaptgtp I
utt Pth arrangement which becomes solid and i
Mhlch the lluEut water does not clean. Tile .
Plumbing must he entirely correct, no rungh
l3alls huutt The joints, and no elbows, who're
lAefe must be curve i'm the iron pine. LEI
u ne gradual, The pipe must not extend |
uiucl the basement floor, or cellar floor. +
where i becomes covered, but should Slope b
gradually lr4m the first iloor 20 the street III &