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the land. It is to be regretted that many small suburban
villages and districts are carrying out extensive and expensive
sewage works. It would be far better to discharge the surface
water by the natural course into the rivers, collect daily the
excretion and refuse, and return it to the land. This system
has been found to work well in some parts of England, and in
several towns on the continent. The sale of the soil removed
has actually in some instances paid for the expense of collecting
and removing it. This however, cannot be said of the sewage
works, which have proved an enormous expense with unsatisfactory
results. Of course there are many difficulties in the
way in introducing such a system as well as public prejudice to
be overcome, but the existence of difficulties when a good end
is to be gained, should rather act as a stimulus than as a preventative.
Are we not too willing to sacrifice in the present day
much that is good and useful for the sake of convenience and
fancy?
It is obvious that if a high tone of public health is to be
attained while the density of a population is increasing, the
most vigorous care and systematic supervision against all causes
known to be prejudiced to Hygiene must be adopted. Unfortunately
there is a large number of detrimental causes over
which we as sanitarians have little control, but every good
citizen can add his iota in opposition to the social evils of the
day. To procure good health man requires nothing more than
to know and to obey the laws of nature. So perfect are they
that it is impossible to offend against them without the production
of suffering. It cannot be too well recognised that it is
the duty of everyone to assist in doing good to the public at
large, for it is through the combined efforts of the many that
good results in the improvement of public health may be
expected. It is not one social evil alone that should be opposed,
but all, for it is abuse not use that produces harm. In nature we
find everything so perfectly made that there is nothing without a
use, whilst it is man's own fault or want of knowledge or want
of self control, if he does not rightly use those things that he
finds provided in nature.
This is the last Western District of the Lesser metropolis, i.e.
London proper. It comprises an area of 4209 acres, and anestimated
population of 107,000 inhabitants. It is divided for
registration purposes into three sub-districts, namely—Fulham,
which is the parish of Fulham, and St. Peter and St. Paul's,
which together make the parish of Hammersmith. For the
sake of brevity these sub-districts are called Fulham, St. Peter's,
and St. Paul's. Fulham comprises an area of 1716 statute
acres, St. Paul's. 2102, and St. Peter's, 185. The estimated
population of Fulham is 41,000 inhabitants, that of St. Peter's