Year: 1879




'To understand the common things of life is
the prime wisdom" The daily experiences
of physicians show more and more clearly
that our epidemics, -scalatina, diphtheria,
typhoid fever, have their origin in filth in
decomposing animal substances, by which
foul gases enter our dwellings and infect our
bodies, and often those most dangerous give
no evidence of their existence to the physical
senses. From every side comes evidence
pointing to the necessity of more thorough en-
forcoment Of sanitary regulations.


One observer states that every case of diph-
thera treated during the year has occurred
in houses or on premises with defective drain
age. Nearly all cases of scarlet fever are
found by another under similar conditions.
In one family young child was suddenly
prostrated with this disease, and while on the
eve of apparent recovery, fatal diphtheria
supervened In day or two the mother and
another child were severely infected and had
hard fight for life. The cause was found in
an open pipe connecting the sink with an un-
ventilated cess-poOl. In another family sew
eral children have been attacked with diph-
liberia repeatedly during the year. At the
side of this house connected with sink-spout,
is a foul-smolling cess pool. In another fam
lily for several months mild attacks of dph-
thertic disease occasionally occurred, all of
which disappeared on the proper adjustment
of the drainage Of the premises and house.
On attending lady suddenly prostrated as
if from poison, the physician went to the
sink to obtain water, noticed the smell of
sewer gas investigated and found the usual
cess pool arrangement. The owner soon
remedied the defect, and the health of the
occupants soon improved. There is danger
in connecting discharge-pipes from sinks and
closets with the public sewers without prop
er traps In order to make the trap effective,
the sewer beyond the trap or the top of the
trap itself must be so ventilated as to en-
tirely prevent the possibility of gas-pressure
on the water in the trap. Unless this pres
sure is prevented, the subtle poison is forced
through the traps into the dwellings.


Chief among the many kinds of dodth-traps
is the cess-pool arrangement The dangers
of this are not understood. The barrel, hogs
head, or reservoir covered air-tight by earth,
into which the discharge-pipes from the sink
or closet enter is like large air-tight receiv-
er, filled with chemicals undergoing changes
by which gases are evolved that cannot es-
cape except through the entering pipes, or
into the house. SO that every house with
such an arrangement is practically, so far as
gases are concerned, itself IN the cess pool
and thoroughly permeated by its poisonous
elements. These are spread ont in the lungs
over hundreds of square feet of surface of
pulmonary cell-membrane, and thereby diff
fused through the blood of the occupants.
The plumbers trap is no adequate protection
against their ingress unless the pool is
supplied with ventilator through which the
gases escape into the open air, for the gas
der pressure will force its way through the wa
ter of the trap as fast as it forms within. The
only safety is therefore in securing outside
ventilation of the cess-pool, made by per-
pendicular pipe perforating its top and rising
10 ba This Hona fha ordinary ra
are efficient.


During the prevalence of typhoid fever in
this city, before the present system of sewer
age was very much in use, three-fourths Of all
the cases of typhoid treated for two years in
the practice of one of our physicians occurred
on premises where there was u cess-pool or
unventlated cellars or sewers. Now that
more enter the public sewers and do away
with the cess-pool, the typhoid cases are
found to linger more in families on the Hill,
who less frequently avail themselves of pub
lie drainage, and still retain on their premises
that dangerous generator of infection. There
is another serious objection to the cess-pool,
especially on the Hill, where the soil is sandy
and porous A cess-pool within one hundred
feet of well is sure to render water harmful.
The dirty water running on the surface of
the ground percolates into the soil; heavy
rains wash it into the well, the family drink
INC Itiulu poison hDu llltu NOnuCE Luhl luGl
are so afflicted with disease.


Nothing is more discouraging to the benev-
olent physician than the apathy of the mass
of people on these matters. One of the most
eminent physicians in a neighboring state
during an epidemic oftyphoid carefully point
ed out to the families he attended while sick
the causes of their disease, and yet the great
majority neglected to lift a finger to remove
the cause, and would even try to deny the
most obvious facts. Coming to treat a fatal
case of typhoid, physician went to the
pump, examined the water, observed n pu-
trescent odor therein the well was examined
and a pail-full of decayed earth-worms was
found to be the injecting cause which sent a
vigorous young man to his premature grave
On the hills of Berkshire, in one of the most
airy and apparently healthy localities, fami-
ly was suddenly prostrated with typhoid.
Neighbors and friends that came TO aid were
suddenly seized by exposure and the pest
spread throughout the town. The cause was
found in infected water. family on State
street in this city suddenly were infected, and
no cause could be assigned, until inspection
of the well found quantity of bones with
portions of decayed tissues thereon, which
children had thrown in while at play.


In the hill towns and rural districts gener-
ally typhoid and diphtheria prevail, as well
as in the crowded city. The cause is always
to be looked for in the careless sanitary hab-
its of the people. The want of cleanliness
and ventilation in the cellars, the decaying
potatoes, apples and cabbages, old rotten ci-
der-barrels and soap and grease tubs, piles of
filthy dirt-rags mingled with ashes on which
rats and cats have nightly battles, the damp
air and oftentimes collections of water and
temperature favorable to organic decomposi-
tion, all these are conditions prolific in the
formation of injecting poisons and for in
creasing the incomes of physicians Il will
not give you" said an applicant for vaccina-
ton, "a dollar for that service it is not
worth it," "Then," replied the doctor, you
will give me fifty for attendance on you for
small-po Soon after the doctor indeed re-
ceived within one dollar and a half Of that
amount, from the executor of a fool who
died according to his folly. Prevention is
cheaper as well rs better than cure-Or DEATH
The medical profession receive more compen-
sation for treating diseases than for their SER
vice in prevention. Let the public invert the
order, cooperate with them in enforcing san
itary regulations, aud public health and lon
geyity will be better secured.