Volume 1

Sanitation / edited by the professional staff of The Bennett College ... J. Webster ; assisted by A. H. Winterburn.

Date:
[between 1900 and 1920]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Sanitation / edited by the professional staff of The Bennett College ... J. Webster ; assisted by A. H. Winterburn. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    17/224 (page 1)
    Bennett College : “ Sanitation ” Chapter 1 WATER AND WATER SUPPLIES The Necessity of Water.—Water is one of the prime necessities of life, as a pure and plentiful supply is one of the most important of health requirements. Water is a fluid or chemical compound composed of two parts of hydrogen to one part of oxygen, being reduced to two in the compound and expressed by the formulae HgO, but as water is one of the greatest solvents in nature, it is only found in this state of absolute purity by a process of distillation. Pure Water.—Generally speaking, pure water is understood to be that which contains nothing prejudicial to health in the case of water used for domestic purposes, or nothing that would destroy the success of any technical operation, when intended for industrial purposes. Relation to Health.—Water plays a large and important part in relation to public health and sanitation. A plentiful supply of pure water is necessary for the health of the people, as it is an important element in food. It assists the body by building up and repairing waste tissues, preserves the fluidity of the blood, aids in the excretion of waste and effete mattem from the system, while it assists in maintaining uniformity of tempera¬ ture in the body under varying climatic conditions. It is also required for cleansing purposes, for baths, sewers, water-closets, as well as for the use of animals and for trade and manufacturing purposes. Rainfall.—The rainfall is the actual origin of all sources of water supply, and the quantity, whether plentiful or scarce, is dependent on the actual amount of annual rainfall either in the form of rain or snow. From the surface of the ground, rivers, lakes, and oceans, evaporation is continually taking place. This evaporation in the form of invisible vapour or moisture is retained in the atmosphere in quantities varying with the temperature of the air ; the higher the temperature, the greater the volume of vapour which will be retained, but on the temperature falling, a