View report page

16
and undoubtedly from some of them most objectionable
effluvia are complained of, and I must admit that
several very suspicious cases both of enteric fever and
diphtheria have been brought before my notice in
proximity to these road ventilators.
In every town or large parish I consider there
ought to be registered plumbers, whose duty should
be to see that the connections between the drains and
sewers are properly made, and that the traps are
sufficient and efficient. It is a fact generally admitted
that in most towns much soil pollution is the result of
faulty house drains leaking their contents.
Bristol as far as I can learn is the only large
town in which the sewers remain unventilated. As
their contents are discharged into a tidal river, and
consequently are sealed for some hours daily, it might
naturally be concluded that the backing up of the
sewage would cause pressure upon the air in the
sewers. However both the Medical Officer of Health
and City Surveyor are perfectly satisfied to allow them
to remain as they are, and in fact deprecate every
proposal to ventilate them into the streets.
Ventilating shafts and pipes are slowly superseding
road ventilators, or grids; in narrow streets and other
close places I am decidedly in favor of abolishing the
latter method of ventilation. The system of
cremating the gases is a good one, but too expensive
for general use. The proposal to ventilate sewers by
carrying pipes up the sides of the houses is not meeting
with much favor. The plan has been tried in Sydney
(Australia) and it has been stated that the sewer
organisms showered down from the ventilating outlets
on the windows and other parts of the houses.