The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-11-11
GOOD SANITATION.
VALUABLE SUGGESTIONS FOR LOCAL
BOARDS OF HEATH.
Health Hints for Those Who Live In VII
iaces-Dangers OF tho CessPooi-A Mat
ter to BE Locke, Arer-Aids of House
Cleanliness.

Cleanliness.
The writer leaves to the intelli gent and OBJ
serving reader the application Of DR.. Smon's
remarks in regard % English usoges TO the
conditions prevailing Ia towns and country
places in America The recognition Of the
truthfulness Of the description given as APP
plcable TO our owIf shortcomings in this re-
srect. and the realization OF the dangers at
,endant upon such a condition Of things
ought 10 arouse not only individuals, but
communities TO n proper sense Of the duties
which they owe 10 themselves, IS well as 10
their neighbors, in the matter Of proper sani-
tation of dwellings and their surroundings.
To quote Or. Simon again: in order to re-
duce that vast quantity OF preventable dis
ease which has its type in enteric fever, and
In relation 70 which each individual case OF
enteric fever which occurs ought TO be re
earded as having an important local signiii-
! canoe. the one essential condition is cleanli-
ness. That local sanitary authorities, pro-
ceeding 10 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 a few
wears reduce by some tens Of thousands the
annual mortality OF England is, | think, at
least so certain as that such ought 10 be the
aim Of their existence"
In certain districts cesspOols should either
be abolished altogether or so reconstructed
and guarded as 20 be as little of a nuisance
as possible either 10 the users or their neigh
bors Privies with Enclosed vaults should be
abolished and pail system, or something Of
! a nature apprOximating 10 it, adopted. the
! local authorities should undertake. through
their boards of health, the removal Of excre-
mental aud cesspool matters. IL would be
cheaper to employ two on more men and
carts TO do this than 70 pursue the present
method Of hiring a man 70 do the work at
excessive rates Then the matters, frequently
removed and composted under the system
suggested, would have a manurial value
which the contents OF privy vaults, as now
allowed to remain through stages Of ferinen-
tation, cannot have
SOMETHING TO BE LOOKED AFTER
While in Medford, the writer encountered
a gang of men who were engaged IN cleaning
out cesspool vault He asked one OF them
where they disposed Of the matter they
carted away. Oh he replied, I'VE take IL
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 IL,
and 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
priyy matters which were dumped not lar
from his house on some vacant land near the
public highway until one night he caught
the parties in the act, and so frightened them
with the prospect Of fine land other con |
siderationsn that they did not again repeat |
the nuisance. Now the board Of health Of |
Medford have duly authorized man 20 /
clean out tue cessp00is and priyies II their |
town Do they follow hun in the disposal Of /
the filth be removes! It is safe 70 say they !
do not.
Blu. in the neighborhooi whore this offal
is disposed Of there arr watersheds on supply |
basins for several large communities, ami
such matter emptied on any of them must,
in its soluble parts at least. which wouli in
clude the germs of disease II they were pres
ent. fud its way eventually into the water
supply. with tho attendant results Of such
pollution on the health Of the users This is
another strong argument ia favor Of the
town authorities undertaking the removal gi
well as the proper disposition Ct cxcremen-
and cessuOol matter Then n strict system
Of priyv construction on adaptation should
be enforced People should not be permitted
f. be a nuisance 70 themselfcI or their neigh
bors They should be- made % bear the ex
ueuse Of such alterations N ncw C0nsfruc-
tions. and they might thus Ue laugh. %
value them more. Frequent removal cspc-
cially in the warm season, should De enforced.
~ man or householder should bc allowed 70
DO his own scavenging on 90 clean out bis
vaults 0r ces,poois and spread their contents
over his grass or garden Lad IL cespoob
are permitted, tho Kitchen drain should ter
inmate I'm a separate cesspOOl from the soil
pipe of the water c.0sot Ia tl.ckly settled
districts d. wells, except those driven through T
the clay and receiving their supply of water
beyond the poss biIty OF surface con.amila-
ton. should Boz allowed % exist, anl all ok
isting old fashioned wells should be filed ill.,
House traps should be inspected from timo
t. time. and every outlet for fluids from
houses should be trapped. No cesspool or
vault should be- ventilated into q house
chimney
AIDS OF HOUSE CLEANLINEss
Housa sanitation is most largely within the
control OF its occupants. One Of ths most
important aids Of house cleanliness IS thor
ough ventilation. As this cannot usually be Sc
cured by ordinary methods, it can az least be
aided b. giving all the rooms in the house
every fine day a thorough air bath Sun
shine should be invited rather than excluded
Who has not been disagreeably affected by
going into certain houses and being met with
a rank. filthy atmosphere, loaded with the
exhalations from human bodies and lungs,
which have become SO persistent by lack az
proper ventilation as 90 lmpregnate not only
the air, but the carpets furniture. curtains
and bedding Of the house, and even tue cloth
M OF the occupants which gives public
notice Of the fact every time they board
a horse car OF a steam cari Many people 20
into the country or down 20 the seashore in
the summer months, shutting up their houses
closing them against light and ventilation.
In a short time the water remaining m the
kitchen and water closet trap dries up leay-
ing free passage for the foul Odols from
sewers or cesspoois. Then the microbes take
possess on, and reyel in tie humid atmos-
phere OF the August days
BY the lst OF September the family return
from the country and occupy their houses.
They have not IA, "A rule taken the pre- /