The ventilation of public sewers / by John S. Brodie.

  • Brodie, John S. (John Shanks)
Date:
1908
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The ventilation of public sewers / by John S. Brodie. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.

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    from Dr. Fowler. He agreed that the results obtained in a warm climate like that of Gibraltar would not be obtained in England, where it was colder. In reference to the question of the smell, he agreed with Dr. Sergeant that that should be regarded as a danger signal. On the point as to sewer air being the same as that in a drain, the effect of disease on the air in the drains had to be considered, and was the reason wh}- they desired to separate the air. As to the question of pipes above the house- tops, he thought there was less danger in the opening above the housetop than on the ground level, for the gas quickly became diluted and the germs blown awa}' from the inhabitants of the houses. As to Bristol, he was not so sure about the absence of an}' bad results, diphtheria, for one thing, being very prevalent there. He was rather inclined to agree with Mr. Price that it was not necessar}'- to have shafts at too frequent intervals. Mr. Brodie regretted along with Dr. Coutts that there were not present any advocates of the abolition of the intercepting trap. He thought the}^ would all agree that the old surface venti- lator was dead and gone, and that good ventilation could only be achieved by means of shafts fixed along the kerbs or at the ends of houses, closing altogether gratings on the surface of streets. His friend Mr. Mawbe}^ the Borough Engineer of Leicester, had established that, and the}' were all obliged to him for what he had done in showins; that he could ventilate his sewers bv means of shafts only. Bacteriologists had been alluded to with a lack of that respect to which they were entitled, but a crumb of com- fort for them was that borough engineers were waiting for a lead from them in regard to the point as to what were the constituents of sewer gas, and what was the proper wa}' to deal with it. He had read with considerable interest the researches of Major Horrocks, and he had only the feeling that he should like to have these corroborated, because the conditions in Gibraltar did not strike him as being the same as those in this country. For his own part he had ver}' little doubt but that they were correct. People said there was very little harm in a smell, but he for one said they must get rid of those smells from sewers. This question of sewer ventilation should be looked at in this way: it should not be left to chance, but should be considered in connection with every system of sewers. It should be dealt with it at the beginning, and then it would be a much more simple problem to solve than when the mischief had been done. The proceedings then terminated with the customary votes of thanks.