Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-05-02

sanitation is the general water supply. For all
our large cities this is abundant in quantity,
since over half Of it goes to waste through
ieahy httlngs, In trickling drops and tiny
streams which do not even serve to cleanse the
waste pipes. The quality is also generally
good Nevertheless almost every city has
present or prospective difficulties in preventing
dangerous or offensive pollutions of its supply.
and the recent possibilities of an invasion of
cholera have drawn attention to the matter
almost everywhere.
With general water supply comes the ne
cesslty for means of prompt removal of the
water which has been fouled by use. that is of
sewerage. All Of our large cities. with the ex-
ceptlon OF Baltimore, are provided with sewers,
but these in some cases unsatisfactory.
having been badly planned, worse constructed
and too much uncared for and everywhere
/ there is much work to be done in this respect
b to meet the needs arising from growth and ex-
tension of the municipalities.
II We turn to the list of subjects treated of in
the Wurzburg Festschrift, shall find several
1 things considered matters of municipal SAM
/ tatlon which do not seem to have received
much consideration from municipal authori-
ties IN this country. such. for example. as pub
he baths and wash houses, abattoirs public dis
infection stations, &c.
Public wash and bath houses are to be found
, IN many European cities. and are of great
value III promoting cleanliness of clothing and
OF the person among the poor. To them poor
women can take their bundles of soiled cloth
Ing and bedding, and by the payment of a
small fee can have the of tubs. tables hot
and cold water. and driving facilities. and can
also have bath. In tine evening males can
also obtain baths there. Some of our cities
nave waterside swimming baths for summer
use. but public wash houses under municipal
management and control are practically I'M
known In this country. Abattoirs, public
slaughter houses. where all animals are exam
hefo holm cd
where the meats can be inspected. and where
all the nuisances and dangers connected with
private slaughter houses be either done
away with or reduced to the lowest limits are
10 be found in only three or four of our cities.
CONTAGIOUS DISEASE HOSPITAL.
In the constant struggle of health officials to
prevent the spread of such contagious diseases
as diphtheria and scarlet fever there are few
things for which they find a more urgent need
than hospitals specially calculated and set apart
Tor the reception of this class of cases: vet very
Few cities are provided with them. There may
pc shabby, desolate. dog-kennel sort of a
building known the pest house. hastily
erected during some former smallpox epidemic;
out where IL the place to which lady living in
boarding house. or temporarily stopping in a
hotel, could take her child affected with scarlet
FEVER! Philadelphia. Baltimore and Washing
Ton are now considering their needs in this re-
spect, and year or two hence it is to be hoped
that they can give a satisfactory answer to this
question. What is wanted is u neat attractive
looking building with number of private
rooms, and at least three totally distinct and
isolated small wards for as many different kinds
or contagious disease. where they will always
De ready with clean and thoroughly disinfected
rooms, bedding and appliances 10 take the best
possible care of a dangerous or suspicious case.
Host OF our cities are also in need of one or
more public disinfection stations under skilled
management. provided with the best modern
means OF disinfecting bedding. clothing. &C.,
and also with portable apparatus which can be
sent to and used in an infected house. Another
important means of aiding TO check the spread
of contagious disease as well as OF helping the
very poor In their struggle to maintain de-
cent existence in the midst of sore trouble. is q
public mortuary. simple building in near
the poor quarter where the bodies of the dead
can be taken Immediately after death and
properly cared for. and where funeral ceremo-
MES can be performed The desire to preserve
the dead mother the dead child for two or three
days IN order to allow time to apprise friends
and arrange for the funeral is no less
strong in the poor family than it is in the rich
one; but when there are only one or two rooms.
and the living must cook. eat and sleep in the
presence of the dead. this natural wish pro-
duces unnatural and sometimes dangerous re-
suits. All large European cities. and many of
the smaller ones. have public mortuaries. and
their privileges highly valued. They are
not connected with pauper administration. a
small fee is charged for their use. and they are
used BY transient visitors of the weli-to-do
classes when occasion comes. They are not
morgues. although sometimes one room. with
a separate entrance. NAV be set apar. for this
purpose. They have a separate room for the
of the bodies of those diving of conta-
gious disease and special means of preventing
infection tberefrom. l do not know of any
public mOrtnary belonging TO any city in this
country, although it is possible that there may
be such.
These illustrations of municipal sanitary
needs are perhaps sufficient to explain the re-
mark made near the beginning of this paper
that if any of our cities were TO publish full
and accurate account of Its sanitary condition
and needs the result would probably not be al
together satisfactory.
CITIZENS ASSOCIATIONS.
The problems Of municipal sanitation will
increase in importance in the near future
They must be handled by men who have de-
voted special study to them. but such men
must be developed and sustained by an inteiIi-
gent public opinion, demand and sympathy.
The steady increase Of our cities and of the
poorer Classes in those cities is bringing about
results which are attracting the attention of
thinking men, and rapid transit. the housing
OF the poor. the education of the masses, the
methods of dealing with the idle. criminal and
defective classes, are all inextricably compli-
Gated with sanitary problems and with each
other. Voluntary associations of public-spirited
citizens have been formed from time to time
during the last thirty years in some of our
towns and cities, but they have usually been of
only few years duration. Perhaps the
Auxiliary Sanitary Association Of New
Orleans continued the longest. Quite
recently somewhat peculiar association
of this kind has been formed in the city of
Washington. This is called the Sanitary
League of the District of Columbia" which de- !
clares its object to be the collection and diffu-
sion of information with regard to existing or
threatened dangers to the public health. and the !
aiding OF the municipal authorities in their
efforts to improve the sanitary condition of the /
District and TO prevent the Introduction or
spread of disease. The business of the league /
is managed by a council composed of the Off ].
GERS aud of tweuty-oue additional members (
elected annually by the members. and the work
ls divided among various committees. the most /
important of which the local committees 7
for the sUbdis;ricts into which the District has
been divided. The chairmen of these local COM +
mittees are members of the council and each has
authority 70 appoint a. many members upon his /
committee a. he deems desirable the intention |
being that there shall be at least one for every
square or block to cOllec. information and
furnish practical instruction when necessary /!