THE HOSPITAL DRAINAGE AND VENTILATION.

Timaru Herald, Volume L, Issue 4867, 12 June 1890, Page 3

THE HOSPITAL DRAINAGE AND VENTILATION.

Mr M. Do H. Duval, architect, gavo a freo discourse last evening m the Sophia Btrcet , hull on " Drainage and Vontilotion," his text , being furnished an ! !.U illustrations supplied , by tho Timarii hospital. Thora was a good | attendance — between eighty and a hundred • people being present, and Mr J. 3. Gibson ( was voted to tho chair. Members of thi | Hospital Board and the medical profession . rcero specially invi'ed. Wo noticed no mom- j ber of the board there, but Dr Lovogrovo and < Dr MneTiitvro were present, and the hospital , cteward and tho board's secretary woro. | Builders were present m strong force. Mr , Duval commenced by pointing out the j importanco ofjperfeefc sanitation, especially m ■, hospitals, and then described tho nature of , 6ower poison, so fur as it is known, and the | motions of gases m drain pipes ond their , Bonnections, under difforentcircumslances. The t details of what the beat authorities — Adams , (American), Denton and Buehau (English)— , and the Ohriatchurch Drainage Board's rules j laid down as essentials m a good eyetein of , louse drainage were explained at length, and , illustrated by a large diagram, and the , authorities and the rules further quoted to f show what are common and dangerous defects , m bad systems. Theao esßentuls, Mr Duval , asserted, were moro or lees want ing, and several ] of tho defects undoubtedly present m the lub- | pital drainage — burial of inspection pipes, ( wrong connections, insufficient ventilation and ( bad ventilation (ono of the two ventilating | cowls being on a level with tho servants' bed- , room window) being among them. The lecture j was of course highly technical, and reference ( to tho diagrams (there was a second showing ] tho lines of tho hospital drainage) was con- j tinually necessary, hence a full report without . illustrative figureß would bo hardly compre- , hensible. Most of tho principal " points " t have already been published. A new one was i a criticism of Mr Merchant's special " tests" j of the elßcicncy of tho ventilation of tho f drains, Mr Duval showing that this teat was j imperfect and inconclusive. He contended ( that Mr Marchant had no right to disclaim j responsibility for tho condition of tho old , drains, which ho did not put down, becaueo ] he had mac'o connections with them. Having j doalt with tho drainage Mr Duval turned to t the ventilation of tho wards, and criliciecd , Mr ?>iarchant % 3 report on this matter. Tho Tobin system was about the best, and this , had been adopted, but tho inletß were placed ( too high. Mr Merchant's remarks on the f "colonial ventilation" of the fe.co.ale ward | were also criticised. In apeakiug of the Tobin lube Byalem ho mentioned a building j " not a hundred miles from whore they woro" ; m which two Tobin tubes had boon inserted £ m ono of tho principal rooms, but instead of J having their inlets open to the fresh air out- j side they opened beneath the floor, and the , ground beneath being made ground, m an old | gully which had been the receptacle for all aorts of rubbish, the "fresh " air admitted by ( the tubes had such a " bouquet " that tho j proprietor promptly closed the tubes. (Ho refused to name cither the building or the < architect.) In conclusion Mr Duval said | it was very unfortunate that ho should havo to take the hospital for his illustrations, but it was tho beet illustration ho could havo of blunders m drainage, and by showing what these blunders wore, and "their remedy, not on his own authority but on that of tho best sanitary experts, he wob showing how a house, or an hospital or other public building should bo drained and venlilrted. He claimed that, through following the directionsof one of these experts, he could point to the convent as a building m which, with a dozen closets and nbout as many baths, there was no cause of complaint whatever. Tho defects m tho hospital drainago were precisely such as Mr Buchan found at Sandringham House, the rcßidenco of tho Prince of Wales, when ho was sent to correct tho drainage, after the Prince had been struck down with typhoid, and such aa were found to exist at Windsor Castlo after the death of the Prince Contort from typhoid contracted thero. Ho omphalio ally disclaimed the professional jealoußV which had been charged against him. His object was to force tho board to liston, not to him, but to experts of acknowledged standing. Let the board not take his word nor Mr Marchant's word, but fend for some independent expert, and if (his expert did not soy faultyjlut] wrong from beginning to end, ho would pay his oxpenses, and ho had a friend who would back bim up m this. Tenders for Bomo work at tho hospital — he did not know what work waß contemplated— were to bo oponed on Friday, and he urged that bofore another penny tvos spent m patching and doctoring, the whole matter should bo thoroughly investigated by an independent person. Mr Duval closed his lecture by thanking the audieneo for their patient hearing and euid ho was willing to answer any qucst!ons> Mr Jowbot asked ono or two questions no to the length of drains. Mr Marchant was not responsible for tho wholo of them, and as to thn use of rain pipes ns ventilators. Mr Duval admitted that Mr Marchant did not put down tho wholo of the drains but ho made, connections with them. As to tho otli'r question, rain pipes, tho authorities said, should not be used as ventilating pipes if it could be avoided In roply to Dr Lovcgrove the lecturer said it would not cost moro thua £60 to properly ventilate the drains. Mr J. Bruco Raid ho understood that tho portions erected by Mr Roberts woro supposed to bo poifcclly ventilated. Mr Duval naicl it wiui not so, and whs found tho moro unsatisfactory now owing to the bad rcoults of tho new drainage, lie wns up lust Sunday and the smell m the corridor was enough to knock anyono down. No other' questions offering Mr F. W. Stubbs moved a voto of thanks to Mr Duval for his lecture, and this was carried by applause. Mr Duval, m roply, said ho had done nothing but his duty m a, public matter. Tho board askod him and Mr '/Vcit to report, tho reportß were sent m and paid for, £1 Is each, and then were stifled, oonccaletl from tho board, ho really did not know how or why, nnd lit tho lint mooting tho board by vottfdoeitled that his report and a lottor upon it should not bo road, and bj another voto that they would not hoar him personally, and tho report and lottor had been returnee! to him. On thia Mr Duval was requested to read those papers, and ho did so. Mr W. dollins askod who woa chairman of tho bonrd when this was done, and it was stated Ihnt Mr Jacknon was chairman 'at tho last meeting, but Mr Boss was chairman when tbo reports wcro sent m. Homo risked a question about tho hot water apparatus hist put m and blamod Mr Duval for making a disconnection which out off a etonmpipound left some putt dongorom. Mr

Duvol said tho work was dono under his supervision, but tho patentee (Mr Aahbury) did the work. Tho meeting thon broke up, but a number remained m tho room to discuss tho matter, and regret was expressed that a resolution was not proposed requesting the board to nccopt Mr Duval's challenge, but 03 it was then too late it was determined to get up a petition to tho board to-day, asking them not to accept a tender for any work m connection with the drainage and ventilation until an independent expert has boon called to examine tho place.