The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-09-16
HEALTH SUGGESTIONS.
HOW THE HEALTH CONDITIONS OF
THE CITY COULD BE
IMPROVED.


at Once-HOuse Drainage and Pre-
cautions That Ought to BE Taken
at the Market.
Savannah, Ga, Sept. 14.-Editor Morn
ing News: In answering the attack made
upon me through the public press, by the
mayor of Savannah, the board of SANTA
ry commissioners and the health officer
including the notifications by council on
account of statements made by me in an
article entitled Sanitary Progress in Sa-
vannah," and published in the Sanitarian
for July and August, 1896 1 shall try to
lay aside all personal feelings and avoid
as far as practicable all personalities. In
the course of this discussion of sanitary
matters in Savannah it is my intention,
while giving our citizens an outline of the
sanitary benefits to which they are entitled
and some of the reasons why they do not
enjoy those benefits. to prove the correct
ness of every statement in the Sanitarian
In order to insure the future progress
and prosperity of a city, it is evident that
healthfulness is the most important fac
tor, and to obtain the greatest amount of
this blessing should be the constant en-
| deavor of those who are placed in a po-
sition to secure it.
OF all sanitary work, by far. the most
important in any city, is a system of house
drainage that will carry off at a safe dist
ance human ordure and liquid filth from
the kitchen, washtub, stables, manufac-
tories, etc, so rapidly and so thoroughly
that these substances will not have time
| to ferment and become dangerous. To
| such a system of house drainage you are
entitled, and you have the right to demand
| it from the authorities. With
the Inauguration of such a system
the most prolific cause of filth diseases
| and the most digusting accompaniment
| of human habitation, the privy vault
| cesSpool or -well-becomes needless
and can be abolished forever. To the ac-
| complishment of such work, every other
| should give way And now that we have
| enough water for the purpose, it is to be
| hoped that no further delay will prevent
| its accomplishment. Our people have the
right to know in what condition are the
sewers that underlie our city. A report
! of the examination recently made by the
city engineer, should be published for in
! formation. They have also the right to
| demand that the filth which has accumu-
| lated In them shall be removed at once,
| and that automatic flush tanks or flush
! gates shall be placed wherever needed to
remove the deposits accommodating between
/ the intervals of flushing. (Flushing means
! the rapid discharge of a body of water
/ or sewage, at velocity and for length
! of time sufficient to remove any deposit,
and thoroughly wash the walls of sew
! err" Buck)
They have the right to call a mass meet
| ing to condemn the privy vaults, and de-
mn n hAx CHI a hp 1aA xrsftl ,,,I
and that sanitary pail shall be used in
! stead, the pals to be exchanged by the
/ scavenger in the early morning: that the
/ scavenger be instructed to remove all the
! garbage in the middle of the day in up to-
| date covered wagons, to have it crema ted
before it has time to emit a bad smell;
| that a crematory that burns it's smoke
! and removes all bad SMELL be built in
! central location, to reduce the hauling to
a minimum and reduce the expense of the
department.
/ There is no excuse why our citizens
/ should not be provided with plumbing
i inspector, an official of the greatest inn
portance in a well regulated city and in
! dispensable in a climate like ours, Had
I an expert plumber been appointed ever
| since water closets were first put in use
here and the plumbing of private houses
/ and public buildings been carefully and
properly done, thousands of precious lives
would have been spared and the health
and energy Of our people would have been
| greatly improved. This matter has been
| urged upon the authorities ever since |
/ can remember. The medical men, the
medical society, the Citizens Sanitary
| Association and health officers, all tried
to secure such an appointment. but for
| reasons which l shall explain, there eff
| forts were made in vain. As conse.
| quence OF this there Is no system in orr
| plumbing and but few houses where IL is
unobiecuonable, and I have yet to see
| the first house pipe or drain, leading from
the house to the sewer, that is properly
| flushed. For this reason, and In some in
| stances for the want OF sufficient fall the
soil drains are generally found to be 6I
ed with focal matter and other debris
only leaving a space big enough for the
water passing through a one and a quar-
ter inch waste pipe from the closet tank
or from the bath tub. A little reflection
will give an idea Of the effects such 4
condition of things must produce unon
the health Of our wives and children. ana
explain the cause Of the bubbling so often
heard near the wash basin and the kitch
en- and pantry sink.
A city with $1,000 inhabitants sbopta
certainly be provided with a first-elass
experienced chemist microscopes ana
bacterioogist, whose office should be
centrally located and easy Of access
Here every citizen should have the privi-