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9
that (although it is a small house) he had attended 24
persons in it during the year ending 6th July, 1859.
Now follows this grave question. This hot summer
has tested our sanitary state pretty severely. We have
seen the prevalence of the three classes of malady which
revel in houses tainted with sewer poison—the diarrhoea
class, the fever class, and the scarlet-fever and throat
class. Are we, judging from the results of this summer,
in such a state as to face an epidemic with confidence—
supposing, for example, that the cholera were to come
over from Belgium? We fear not. At the same time,
we affirm that we have prevented much sickness and
saved many lives; and we can point out what we know to
require remedy, and are eager to carry our ideas into
action when we can. In particular, we observe :
1. That there are some houses, which stand upon
ground so honeycombed with old drains and cesspools,
that after a good pipe drainage has been laid down, other
unknown channels of sewer vapour exist. Some of these
houses are so old, ricketty, and ill-constructed, that they
ought to be pulled down. No. 30, Thomas Street is one
of these. It was condemned by the police surveyor at
our instigation, and the front wall obliged to be built
anew; notices have been served, and fairly enough
obeyed, as to cleansing and draining; still the house is
as unhealthy as ever. No. 16, Brown Street is another
instance of incurable defects in drainage.
2. Other houses, having numerous inhabitants, have
their latrines in such narrow ill-ventilated places, that the
air is unavoidably tainted. The remedies are, to diminish
the population, which we do where possible, and to
induce the owner to have the places dosed with a little
chloride of lime once a week.