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32
All sewers become coated with a thin layer of sewage, which is not
removed by the flushing of water. The same applies to the sides of
street gullies; and as diphtheria did not prevail to such an extent
during 1894 as during 1893, this might be due partly to the increased
rainfall keeping the gullies trapped and the sides of the
sewers moist, thereby preventing the germs escaping through the
ventilators. Should sea water ever be pumped up to London for
Municipal purposes, it could be used at all times and plentifully for
flushing sewers, as well as for the watering of roads, and extinguishing
fires, etc.
In a special report on the cause of Diphtheria, presented to the
Sanitary Committee on September 27th, 1894, I pointed out that
the complaint prevailed greatest in those sub.divisions of the district
which lie furthest from the Thames: and that the Isle of Dogs,
which is the dampest portion of the district, suffers the least; and
that North Bromley and Bow—the latter being the district of my colleague—suffered
the most; and my opinion for the disease showing
itself in this manner was due to the inadequacy of the County
Council's main sewers, which run through these sub.divisions; and
that these sub.districts are liable to become flooded with sewage
during rainfalls, and to have the soil polluted by unknown soak.
age on account of defective drain pipes, so that highly.polluted
ground air would escape from the soil, either through meteorological
influences or by the drawing of fires into those dwellings, the
sites of which are not covered by an impermeable material. I also
made mention in the special report of the careless manner in which
drain pipes were laid and jointed in former years; I stated my
experience of the results of the various drain tests—viz., that they
are all, except the water test (which is difficult to apply) not to be
relied upon, as they will not determine in pipes deeply laid whether
there is an escape of sewage. By drains being declared sound when
they are really unsound, I believe to be one of the chief reasons why
many high authorities are misled in thinking that diphtheria is not