RELATIONS OF CIVIL ENGINEERING 565 



and the coast surveyor locates point sby observations of the heav- 

 enly bodies. 



Biology is allied to civil engineering mainly through bacterio- 

 logy as applied to potable water, the treatment of sewage to pre- 

 vent contamination of streams, and the sanitation of the camps 

 of surveying and construction parties. The treatment of sewage 

 has been given much more thorough study abroad than in this 

 country, but the importance of its bearing upon life in the large 

 cities of America is becoming better understood; consequently 

 the progressive sanitary engineer should possess a thorough know- 

 ledge of bacteriology. In important cases, such as an epidemic of 

 typhoid fever, the specialist in bacteriology would undoubtedly 

 be called in ; but a large portion of the work of preventing or eradi- 

 cating bacterial diseases will fall to the lot of the sanitary engineer. 



Botany comes in touch with civil engineering mainly, if not solely, 

 in the study of the various woods used in construction, although 

 it is a fact that a very intimate knowledge of this pure science 

 might enable a railroad engineer or surveyor to determine approx- 

 imately the characters of soils from plants and trees growing upon 

 them. A knowledge of botany is of no great value to the civil engin- 

 eer, and much time is often wasted on its study in technical schools. 



Political economy is a science that at first thought one would 

 be likely to say is not at all allied to civil engineering; but if he 

 did so, he would be mistaken, because political economy certainly 

 includes the science of business and finance, and civil engineering 

 is most assuredly a business as well as a profession; besides, the 

 leading engineers usually are either financiers themselves or ad- 

 visers to financiers. Great enterprises are often evolved, studied, 

 financed, and executed by engineers. How important it is then 

 that they understand the principles of political economy, espe- 

 cially in its relation to engineering enterprises. It is only of late 

 years that technical students have received much instruction in 

 this branch of social science, and the ordinary technical school cur- 

 riculum to-day certainly leaves much to be desired in respect to 

 instruction in political economy. 



Jurisprudence and civil engineering are closely allied, in that 

 engineers of all lines must understand the laws of business and 

 the restrictions that are likely to be placed upon their construc- 

 tions by municipal, county, state, and federal laws. While most 

 engineering schools carry in their lists of studies the "Laws of 

 Business," very few of them devote anything like sufficient atten- 

 tion to this important branch of science. 



Are the sciences of civil engineering and education in any way 

 allied? Ay, that they are! and far more than most people think, 

 for there is no profession that requires as much education as does 



