Cases inquired about, and dates when each came before the Department. Chesham 1871). Ground of (Oct. Reported preva- Dudley 1871). (May Regis. - General's Great Grimsby Rg.-Gen.'s return. (Nov. 1871). Kingsthorpe (1870). Newton Valence (June 1871). Information of rhoea and fevers. Names of Inspector, and Précis of Report. Mr. POWER. Severe epidemic of typhus. Much overcrowding and filth-pollution of water. Systems of drainage and excrement-disposal required. Dr. THORNE. Endemic scarla tina, typhus, enteric fever, and diarrhoea. Defective and insufficient sewerage. Polluted water in private wells. Inefficient excrement and refuse disposal. Ill-constructed fittings, and overcrowded houses. Nuisances from pigstyes. No means for isolating contagious fevers. Dr. HOME. Polluted water; inefficient system of excrement and refuse removal; incomplete drainage and sewerage nuisances. Houses unfit for habitation. Inadequate sanitary supervision. Regis. - General's Dr. BUCHANAN. Want of return. Preva lence of scarlati na, enteric fever and diarrhoea. Information as to prevalence of diphtheria. Street Complaint of sa- Perry and of preva- drainage. Water polluted. Accumulations of excrement and filth. No means of isolation or disinfection. Dr. HOME. Ill-constructed and unventilated cottages. Insufficient privy accommodation. Bad water. Nuisances. Dr. THORNE. Wells polluted by soakings from privies and cesspools. No proper system of excrement - disposal. No system of drainage or sewerage. No sanitary action by vestry. (First Report of the Local Government Board.) This According to Dr. Stevenson Macadam, it is highly probable that other diseases, such as, ulcerated throat, low fever, and erysipelas, have occasionally a water origin; and although the evidence which he brings forward cannot be said to be conclusive, it is nevertheless very circumstantial. It would also appear that the prevalence of calculous disease and gravel bears a close relation to the amount of lime and magnesian salts contained in the drinking water of certain districts. disputed subject has lately been investigated by Dr. Murray of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (Brit. Med. Journal, September 28, 1872); and his statements, together with the cases which he adduces, are certainly strongly corroborative of this view. Finally, it has to be noted that several of the entozoa find their way into the body by the agency of drinking water, as, for instance, the Bothriocephalus latus and the Ascaris lumbricoides. CHAPTER VIII. DWELLINGS. THE vast importance attaching to the sanitary conditions of dwellings has already been frequently alluded to in previous chapters. Diseases arising from unhealthy site, from insufficient ventilation or overcrowding, from tainted or stinted water-supply, from defective drainage, or from accumulations of filth, are all of them associated with habitations which are faulty in their situation, construction, or management. SECTION I.SITE. In choosing a site, special attention should be paid to the nature of the soil and the general conformation of the ground. The soil, if not dry, should be drained, and all hollows wherein water is likely to lodge should be avoided. Where possible, the aspect should be open and cheerful, so that an abundance of light and a free movement of air can be obtained. In towns, a great evil sometimes arises from building on rubbish containing vegetable matter which has been used to fill up the excavations made in brickmaking. Thus Mr. Crossby reports that the high rate of mortality in Leicester during the autumnal months was chiefly due to an annual visitation of infantile diarrhoea which prevailed in parts of the town built on such refuse; and he distinctly attributes the disease to this cause. Further, the evidence of Drs. Parkes and Sanderson, in their valuable report on the sanitary condition of Liverpool, though negative as regards the effects of cinder-refuse on the health of the occupants of houses built upon it, clearly points to the conclusion that such a soil is objectionable, at any rate when first laid down. With regard to this point, they advised the Town-Council to adopt the following rules: "1. No excavation should be used for the reception of cinder-refuse unless it is efficiently drained. This appears to us to be of especial importance in relation to the filling up of brickfields. It is well known that the whole of the surface of clay is never removed, and there is always sufficient to form an impermeable basin, in which, in the absence of drainage, water constantly collects. We hold it to be of the greatest importance, for the rapid decomposition of whatever offensive material may exist in the cinder,' that it should be able to become dry. The only way in which this can be promoted or secured is by efficient subsoil drainage. "2. As the vegetable and animal matter contained in the cinder-refuse decays and disappears in about three years, and is virtually innocuous before that time, we recommend that places filled up with cinder-refuse shall not be built upon for at least two years from the date of last deposit." They also advised that road-scrapings should not be mixed with the cinder-refuse, and that the scavenging department should be more careful with regard to the selection of material. SECTION II.-STRUCTURAL ARRANGEMENTS. In building on a site which has already been occu pied, great care should be taken to make a thorough examination of the ground, so that no cesspits, rubble drains, or old wells, may escape notice. Every old drain should be taken up, all removable filth cleared away, and every pit thoroughly cleaned out and filled in with concrete. Unless absolutely necessary, no drain should traverse the basement of a house; and when it is necessary, as when houses are joined together in streets or squares, every such drain should be made absolutely air and water tight. Pipes of glazed earthenware are best suited for the purpose. They should be laid on a bed of concrete made with ground lime or cement, securely jointed, and covered with concrete. They should also be provided with full means of ventilation at either side of the basement. When they pass through foundation walls it is advisable that relieving arches should be turned over them, because it often happens that they become broken by settlements, or during the consequent underpinning. Outside the building the pipes should be laid in a water-tight trench of clay puddle or concrete, and should lie their full diameters below the subsoil of the basement, in order that the lowest parts of the house may be efficiently drained. To facilitate inspection, the outside track should be provided, at suitable intervals, with access pipes. These are of various patterns, but all of them permit an easy opening into the drain, so that deposits or obstructions can be readily removed. To prevent the formation of such deposits, all house drains should be regularly flushed. (For further particulars, see Chapter on Removal of Sewage.) Where a cesspool is required to receive the sewage |