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52
atmospheres the poison germs may be dried without
their vitality being destroyed, and may be taken up
as dust in the atmosphere, and conveyed to great
distances. Instances are related by medical men
in the East Indies of the poison of Cholera being
conveyed in this way.
The power of the air of the atmosphere to convey
germ-poisons is one of the great sources of domestic
disease in London. Whilst the water closet system
secures the removal of all these poison germs which
can be destroyed or removed by water, there is
another set of these germs which get into the air
of the drains and sewers. Now the air goes up these
passages whilst the water flows down, hence if not
properly trapped our drains receive impure air from
the sewers, and the houses receive impure air from
the drains. This should be avoided at all hazards,
In the first place drains should never run through a
house, but all refuse should pass directly into drains
outside the house, and in the next place there
should be upcast shafts from drains and sewers
outside all houses, to allow the impure air to go
into the atmosphere. Any amount of impure air
outside a house is much safer than a very small
quantity of bad air inside.
The next thing that conveys poison germs is water.
Painful as may be the thought there seems really
very little water supplied to the inhabitants of
England that is not open to the charge of being
liable to convey poison-germs. Our rivers receive
the refuse of towns, and the washings of highly