Modern methods of sewage disposal : for towns, public institutions, and isolated houses / by Geo. E. Waring, Jr.

  • Waring, George E., Jr. (George Edwin), 1833-1898.
Date:
1896
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Modern methods of sewage disposal : for towns, public institutions, and isolated houses / by Geo. E. Waring, Jr. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    menace to the safety of the people. So long as our offscourings could be scattered broadcast over the ground, their destruction was attended with little dan- ger; but when it became necessary to concentrate them in underground receptacles, a capacity for real mischief was developed. As these receptacles increased, with the growth of communities, the menace increased, until, in the light of modern knowledge as to the conditions of healthful living, the need for radical measures of relief became obvious. It is the application of these measures that we are now to consider. The sewerage of towns, and the drainage of important buildings, are now controlled by expert engineers, and they rarely fail to be reasonably well done. The econ- omy of good plans is understood, and especially the vital necessity for good construction. In fact, it may be said that the adoption of excellent methods and appliances for removing liquid wastes from houses and towns is becoming general. It will in time become universal. This, however, is only the first step in sanitary improvement. It is only the step of removal. It gets our wastes out of our immediate neighborhood; it does not destroy them. It is now recognized that quick and complete removal is only the beginning of the neces- sary service, and that proper ultimate disposal is no less important to health, to decency, and to public comfort. The organic wastes of human life must be) finally and completely consumed. It is not enough to get them out of the house and out of the town; until