The dwelling house / by George Vivian Poore.

  • Poore G. V. (George Vivian), 1843-1904.
Date:
1897
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The dwelling house / by George Vivian Poore. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

    37/198 (page 23)
    PUTRESriBLK FLUIDS ‘23 of their room, and it must often be that sucli ignorance is blissful. Convenience for the guests and facility in cleaning are the objects to be attained by designers and litters of hotels. PuTREsc'iiJLE Fluids Although 1 do not pro^Hise to enter into the details of the plumbing and sewerage arrangements, it is nevertheless necessary to touch upon certain broad questions. Where- ever organic refuse is mixed with water putrefaction results, and certain gases are given off from putrefying liquids which are poisonous and hurtful to mankind. Every cook and housemaid is familiar with the fact that all vessels which serve as receptacles for putrescible litiuids ro<iuire the most careful cleansing, and need to be scrubbed and scoured, washed with hot water and soap and soda, and trijial dry. If this is not done they become foul, and rapidly cause tl>€ decomposition of any li<|uid containing organic matter which may be subseipiently added. The motlern house drains into a sewer, which is neces- sarily always foul and lilled with the gases of putrefaction. Tliese gases are the result of microbial action. The sewage water is full of microbes, the gases of putrefaction are the gaseous ‘toxins’ (CO,, H,S, CH,, NH,, Ac.) which result from their growth. The air of the sewer is necessarily harmful in itself, an»l the presence or ahsence of microbes in the sewer air is a matter of practically small imjwrtance. The house drains are necessarily foul as well as the sewers. Wo hear a great deail about ‘self-cleansing ’ sewers, which shows how ignorant are the surveyors and others who use such terms. glazed piix‘, with a good gradient, may l>e less foul than a rough sewer with insufficient gradient, but you can no more have a ‘ self-cleansing ’ sewer than you can have a self-cleansing saucepan or chamber-vessel.