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CPON THE SANITARY STATE OF CLERKENWELL.
11
as bad a state since the first summons as at the time this was taken out. A
new array waited upon the magistrate, with the same result as before. Now
it appears to me that the infliction of the full penalty would at once have prevented
the nuisance, and would have been thoroughly just. It appears to me
that in all cases where an array of witnesses, unconnected with each other,
and whom it would be unwarrantable to assume had conspired to injure an
innocent individual, appears before a legal tribunal and testifies satisfactorily to
the existence of a nuisance—where also it has been proved that due notice for
its removal had been served by the legal authority—justice can only be
done by at once inflicting the full penalty. If this were done, a great deal of
annoyance and misery would be prevented; and this, it appears to me, is the
meaning and object of the law on these matters.
There are many nuisances which will require to be brought before the
magistrates ere they will be done away with; and it is to be hoped that the
full power of the law will be at once exerted for their suppression.
A large amount of smoke is poured into the atmosphere from the numerous
chimneys connected with the manufacturing establishments. I believe that in
one instance only is any means of consuming the smoke adopted.
A question frequently arises as to whether a gas or vapour evolved during
a process of manufacture or trade is a nuisance, or injurious to health, or
not. I shall make a few remarks here upon the general action of these
emanations upon the body, for ingenious but false analogies are often advanced
with the view of showing that palpable nuisances are not so, and that they
are not injurious to health. I need not remark, that all vapours and gases
not naturally existing in the air must exert some action tending to modify the
natural state of the vital processes. If these vital processes be strong—if
the body be very healthy—the modification or interference may be so slight
as not to produce any perceptible injury; especially if, also, the locality in
which they are evolved be open, and the vapours be freely diluted with
air. Still some unnatural modification must be produced, because we cannot
imagine imperfections to exist in the natural constitution of the air, and
because we find that in a man living in a pure and natural air, defective
sanitary arrangements being absent, life lasts beyond the average period.
Now vapours, gases, and effluvia, or emanations in general, in regard to
their action, may be divided thus; viz., into those which are—
1. Directly poisonous; and those which are—
2. Indirectly poisonous; acting by—
a. displacing pure air;
b. exerting a corrosive or irritating power; or
c. by exerting a peculiar zymotic action upon the blood.
1. Examples of directly poisonous emanations are met with in the
(carbonic acid) gas given off from the fermenting vats of brewers, and in
the gases given off from sewers, foul privies, &c. Brewers' premises should
therefore be large and well ventilated; and the gaseous contents of sewers,
&c., should be allowed freely to escape in open places, away from houses;
or, what is better, these emanations should be drawn from the sewers and burnt.
2. (a.) All emanations displace air, except those few which are capable of
combining with or dissolving in the air. Hence they deprive those who
breathe air containing them of the natural amount of pure air; for the lungs
only admit a certain quantity at each inspiration, and if part of this consists