Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-11-28
Sanitation Practiced
Twenty Centuries Ago

In recent issue of Modern Medi-
cine, James A. Tobey takes up the
early story of sanitation. Referring
to the discoveries of the last forty
years, Mr.. Tobey suggests that these
have SO enriched the knowledge of
man that what had gone before may
seem almost negligible, but at the
same time the practice of systematic
sanitation goes back to the dawn of
civilization. Traces of these prac-
tices have been found in Assyria,
Babylon, Egypt, Crete and Greece
and Rome.
History begins about 5000 years
ago, and the earliest known civiliza-
tion is that of the Sumerians, who
lived between the Tigris and the
Euphrates. in what is now known as
MeSopotamia. Here recent eXcava-
tions show that the dwellings of the
people were provided with drains
and cesspools.
The Chaldeans and Assyrians who
came later, with great capitals at
Ninevah and Babylon, had water
supplied from great distances and
the whole city was severed.
Another great civilization flour
ished in the valley of the Nile some
5000 years B. c. These Egyptians
worshiped the dung beetle, the scar
abeus, possibly recognizing it's scav-
enging powers. The well of Joseph,
near the great pyramid, is excavated
through nearly 500 feet of solid rock.
The ancient Hebrews\ were the
founders of real public health. The
laws of Moses. who was born about
1900 B. c., the first hygienic code
known, apply about as well to-day
as when first promulgated.
The Hebrews recognized the sani-
tary significance of bathing, cooked
l. H., i u
stained from the use of certain meats
considered unclean. The city of
Jerusalem was well severed and had
good water supply. Previous to
the eighth century y. c., the city had
two aqueductS. In 727 B. c., King
llezekiah built a reservoir, the Pool
OF Sloan. and to supply it pierced
the rock hill behind the city with a
tunnel.
Crete had the most elaborate sani-
tary engineering of the remote past.
The palace of Broad Knossus (B. {.
210G) had rainwater conductors
which flushed the drain.
Under Cyrus the Persians had ex-
cellent sanitary ideas, derived from
the Egyptians. In talking with his
father Cyrus received good advice,
to the effect that while physicians
could cure sickness in, the army, the
the army to get sick at all. Here was
the Voicins of prevention more than
five centuries before Christ.
Fhe Hindus had rules of hygiene,
but public health appears always to
have been unconsidered in China as
it is to-day. They knew in antiquity
the inoculation against smallpox and
the importance of good water, some
of their wells being 1900 feet deep |
and very old.
The Druids of Britain, antedating |
Moses, knew medicine and are be- |
lieved to have practiced sanitation.
In North America there are pre- |
historic wells, and in Yucatan one |
such is bored to a depth of 100 feet !
following then a horizontal gallery |
2.700 feet long to the source of sup !
ply.
Mr. Tobey sketches also the sani- !
tation of the Greeks and Romans |
The former recognized the benefits |
of preserving health, and their tenn
pies were usually situated in groves |
near springs. Athens obtained a wa |
ter supply in 625 b. c., through |
tunnel 4,200 feet long and eight feet !
square.
Hippocrates clarified medical !
science. He wrote three books on |
hygiene and sanitation. He advo- |
Gated boiling drinking water. Garth
age had the oldest known cisterns, |
eighteen in number, each 100 feet |
long by 20 feet deep.
Rome had sewers as early as 500 |
B. G. The cloaca maXima was built |
in 135 B. c. and is in use to-day. |
The great Roman aqueducts are |
monuments to the genius of the an
Cient engineers. Some of them are !
still in use. The Romans made |
bathing a luxury. Pompeii had a /
water supply in the fifth century |
b. c., and bath atrines.. Rome |
used the water supply for flushing |
Crete depended on the rain. Truly |
the ancients had good ideas about !
some essentials of sanitation.-kan- |
sas City Star.