Bismarck weekly tribune., 1888-12-14
GOOD SANITATION.
SUGGESTIONS FOR LOCAL
BOARDS OF HEATH.

Health Hints for Those Who Live I'm VII
lages-Dangers Of tho Cesspool-A Mat
ter to Be Looked After-Aids of House
Cleanliness.
The writer leaves to the intelligent and OBJ
serving reader the application of Dr. Simon,s
remarks in regard to English usages to the
conditions prevailing in towns and country
places in America. The recognition of the
truthfulness of the description given as ap-
plicable to our own shortcomings in this re-
spect, and the realization of the dangers at
tendant upon such condition of things
ought to arouse not only individuals, but
communities, to proper sense of the duties
which they owe to themselves, as we'll as to
their neighbors, in the matter of proper sani-
tation of dwellings and their surroundings.
To quote DR.. Simon again: 'sIn order to re-
duce that vast quantity of preventable dis
ease which has its type in enteric fever, and
in relation to which each individual case of
enteric fever which occurs ought to be re
garded as having an important local signifi-
canoe, the one essential condition is cleanli-
ness. That local sanitary authorities, pro-
ceeding to act upon this principle, with clear
intelligence of what cleanliness really means,
and with sincere resolution to enforce it in
their respective districts can within few
years reduce by some tens of thousands the
annual mortality of England is, think, at
least so certain as that such ought to be the
aim Of their existence"
In certain districts cesspools should either
be abolished altogether or so reconstructed
and guarded as to be as little of nuisance
as possible either TO the users or their neigh
bors. Privies with unclosed vaults should be
abolished and pail system, or something of
nature approximating to it, adopted The
local authorities should undertake, through
their boards of health, the removal of excre-
mental and cesspool matters. It would be
cheaper to employ two or more men and
carts to do this than to pursue the present
method of hiring a man to do the work at
excessiverates. Then the matters, frequently
removed and composted under the system
suggested, would have manurial value
which the contents of privy vaults as now
allowed to remain through stages Of fermen-
tation, cannot have.
SOMETHING TO BE LOOKED AFTER.
While in Medford, the writer encountered
gang of men who were engaged in cleaning
out a cesspool vault. He asked one of them
where they disposed of the matter they
carted away. "Oh," he replied, 1--WE take it
away up in the woods in Winchester, and
dump it there" Noting the look of surprise
on the face Of his questioner, he added:
"There is a place there where we dump it,
and a man there takes care Of it," This re-
minded the writer Of his own experience in
Revere, where for two seasons he was annoyed
by the foul exhalations coming from refuse
privy matters which were dumped not far
E,aoyr 1,sc T..
public highway, until one night he caught
the parties in the act, and so frightened them
with the prospect of fine ''and other con-
siderations'' that they did not again repeat
the nuisance. Now the board of health of
Medford have duly authorized man to
clean out the cesspools and privies of their
town. Do they follow him in the disposal of
the filth he removesa It is safe to say they
do not
But in the neighborhood where this offal
is disposed Of there arc watersheds or supply
basins for several large communities, and
such matter emptied on any of them must,
in its soluble parts at least, which would in
clude the germs of disease if they were pres
ent, find its way eventually into the water
supply, with the attendant results of such
pollution on the health of the users This is
town authorities undertaking the removal as
well as the proper disposition of e1crement
and cesspool matter. Then strict system
Of privy construction or adaptation should
be enforced. People should not be permitted
to be nuisance to themselves or their neigh
bors. They should be made to bear the ex-
pense Of such alterations or new construc-
tions, and they might thus be taught to
1,ol,,o than, ,,,oro Eraoro,,% ro,,,ox,o1 $780,.
cially in the warm season, should be enforced.
No man or householder should be allowed to
do his own scavenging or to clean out his
vaults or cesspools and spread their contents
over his grass or garden land. If cesspools
are permitted, the kitchen drain should ter
inmate in a separate cesspool from the soil
pipe of the water closet. In thickly settled
districts no wells, except those driven through
the clay and receiving their supply of water
beyond the possibility of surface containing
tion, should be allowed to exist, and all ex-
isting old fashioned wells should be filed in.
House traps should be inspected from time
to time, and every outlet for fluids from
houses should be trapped. No cesspool or
vault should be ventilated into house
chimney
AIDS OF HOUSE CLEANLINESS.
House sanitation is most largely within the
control of it's occupants. One of the most
important aids of house cleanliness is thor
ough ventilation. As this cannot usually be Sc
cured by ordinary methods, it can at least be
aided by giving all the rooms in the house
every fine day thorough air bath. Sum
shine should be invited rather than excluded
Who has not been disagreeably affected by
going into certain houses and being met with
rank, filthy atmosphere, loaded with the
exhalations from human bodies and lungs,
which have become SO persistent by lack Of
proper ventilation as to impregnate not only
the air, but the carpets, furniture. curtains
and bedding Of the house, and even the cloth
ing. Of the occupants, which gives public
notice Of the fact every time they board
horse car or steam cart Many people 20
into the country or down to the seashore in
the summer months, shutting up their houses
closing them against light and ventilation.
In short time the water remaining in the
kitchen and water closet trap dries up, leav-
ing free passage for the foul odors from
sewers or cesspoola Then the microbes take
possession, and revel in the humid atmos-
phere of the August days