THE HEALTH OF THE CITY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 4163, 22 June 1875, Page 3

THE HEALTH OF THE CITY.

No 11. DRAINAGE. In the previous article, we treated of proper sites for honifs generally, and we dwell particularly on the necessity of drainage in all cases. We have but a few observations to add under this head. In Dunedin, houses are often built on piles, and too frequently little attention is paid to any preparation of the site. Now, this is an obvious mistake, for if the site is not well prepared—not only by drainage, but in various other wrays—the houses built upon ib cannot be'healthy. We are of opinion that in every instance the "humus" should be removed, that a laryer of gravel should be placed on the exposed clay; and that the gravel should be payed oyer, care being taken that any water finding its way among the gravel should have easy egress from the foundation. In a town like Dnnedin, where many houses are built on hillsides, people should be alive to the importance of cutting off the ground water by means of a deep drain behind, otherwise the foundation cannot be dry. We now pass on to an equally important subject, viz., ventilation. It is a well-known fact, that wherever men are huddled together, there is an increased death-rate. We do not stay now to inquire as to all the causes which combine to produce this undesirable result, but proceed at once to discuss one .of the most important—one which should be well known. Sanitary authorities are all agreed as to vitiation of the atmosphere boing the principal factor in high death-rates ; for, speaking gfm rally, towns people are at least as well fed as country

people, and the difference in the purity -of I the water is not often considerable, whereas the air of towns compared with tliat of healthy country districts is often very mr- i pure: The effects of impuie air _& ths hiimaii constitution ate sometimes so. slow J and hiSidious.that, in the tamest "struggle 5 f. t existence," which now rve-ywhere pre- ] vails, they are either liofc noticed or aie over; ; looked. Nevertheless they act none tlie less powerfully, and thej' are alu ays of tlie gravest < importance to thestudentof sanitary medicine. In order to illustrate our i i-^ws we will give i an instance or two of the cfticts of impure 1 air on the death rates of diffeieut districts; s I The mean mortality of the eight principal ] towns in Scotland isl2S'6 per ISIO1; in cone- ' try districts it is ahout 15 per 1000. The i mean mortality of Edinburgh is not much I lower than the .figures quoted; yet in the I lower new town the average mortality is •! only 15 per 1000, vf'hile in certain disrtricts in ; the old town it is as high as 3S per 1000. Where the low death rate obtains, tlie : houses contain ample cubic space for the in- '< habitants, and are surrounded with large ii gardens; but the houses, in those districts ;! where the death rate is high, are enormous '. buildings containing an almost fabulous ,< number of inhabitants, and are filthy and ') unwholesome beyond description. ] We fear that all sanitary expedients will U fail to reduce the mortality of large cities to jl the level of that of country districts ; but ji we do believe that more can be done in this ' < direct iou than every sanitarian dreams of. i Another interesting example is that ol the •! ancient city of Bristol. The able researches I' of J.)r Bed doe have brought many curious i and rng resting facts to light. Never were i the evil effects of impure air and indoor ci - i pi lyiuent better exemplified than in tlie case ,i of Bristol. The average stature of men in '< this city is less thau that of any other city 1 ie Britain, and there are few, if any there, '•! whose great-grandfathers were citizens of i Bihtol. The population is kept up by an 1 influx of people from other quarters, and their < descendants, becoming weaker and weaker, i share ihe f ite of their unhappy predecessors. < Surely, these are important facts—facts i which should convince the most obdurate— < of the importance, nay. even the necessity, 1 of pure air to our well-being. But while we i say so much on the importance of pure air in and around our dwellings, we must not be '• unmindful of those places in which we work : or seek amusement. Many, to wear off the i tedium of their daily toil, betake themselves' i to hotels or clubs, and spend their evenings ; playing bdliards, who are utterly ignorant of < the fact that tbey could hardly do anything i more prejudicial to their health. i The air of billiard-rooms, pirticularly at < night, is exceedingly pollutid. Here we < have all the noxious exhalations from the i lungs of many individuals — the pioducts $ formrd by tbe combustion of coal gas and ' the fumes of tobacco. It is clear that i billiardronms, under these circumstances. « are not proper places of amusement for any i one who is at all delicate ; aud even the t strong! st maj- snff- r if he become a Itahittte s of such [ laces of resort at night. Crowded I theatres and churches we consider even s uorse than billi.ud-roon.is, if ventilation br * not skilfully carried out; for in them people '• are actually packed together, and are 1 surrounded with air highly charged with i carbonic acid and saturated with moisture of 1 a very disagreeable kind—perhaps one ica on f why so many find it difficult to keep their < eyes open in church? The ventilation of i places of public resort has not hitherto re- i ceiveel that atteution which the importance <■ of the subject demands. If there must be t crowd-d meetings at night—whether religi- < ous or histrionic—let those responsible see 1 that their arrangements are free from any 1 objections of a sanitary nature. If they do 1 not, the public are likely to pay for their ; edification and amusement in more ways i thau one. 1