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is, after ten minutes boiling, made practically safe. Hence at such timesthe
use of tea, coffee, cocoa, thin broth, or hot water, is a wise precaution.
At such times milk also may be boiled one minute before being used.
V.—Water drawn up from surface wells near to houses is never safeCesspools,
drains, and soakage from house refuse is sure to be washed
into surface wells by the rain, and such well-water, though apparently clear
and bright, can never be relied upon. If typhoid fever or cholera germs,
in times of sickness, pass iDto such drains or cesspools, they are sure to
soak through the earth and make their way into the surface wells, which
are always below the level of the drains and cesspools. Such wells, when
they must be used, should be made as far as possible from cesspools and
drain pipes, and in times of sickness such water should always be boiled
before being used.
As regards the house drains, care should be taken to keep
them free from smell and to prevent syphon and other traps
becoming dry. For this purpose, water is better than a
disinfectant: the latter may, indeed, become a snare by
disguising offensive odours which require some radical
treatment. A persistent, or frequently recurring, offensive
smell from the house drain probably points to an imperfect
joint, a fracture in a pipe, or some other defect. In such a
case, the advice of the Medical Officer of Health, or one of
the Inspectors, should be sought, in order that a thorough
remedy may be devised. No charge is made for the advice
or assistance of either the Medical Officer of Health or
Inspector, in questions affecting the public health or relating
to the administration of the sanitary laws.
WATER SUPPLY TO FURNISHED AND
TENEMENT HOUSES.
Under the provisions of the Water Companies (Regulation
of Powers) Act, 1887, to which the Vestry referred in their
last Annual Report, Water Companies are prohibited from
cutting off the water supply from any dwelling house for
nonpayment of the water rate, if such rate is payable by the