538 ANNUAL RECORD OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 



The general question of the disposition of sewage is one 

 that has occupied the attention of the board. A well-ordered 

 water supply, water-closets, and suitable drainage in connec- 

 tion Avith a system of sewers is, of course, the best. The 

 substitutes for water-closets are, first, frequent disinfection 

 with dry earth, and prompt and frequent removal of all ex- 

 crement; second, the disposition of slop-water in such a Avay 

 that it can not putrefy and contaminate the air in the neigh- 

 borhood of dwellings. This is well attained by a system of 

 irrigation devised by Mr. Rogers Field, of London ; but 

 where this can not be adapted, it is said that the safest way 

 is to dispose of slop-water on the surface of the ground not 

 near dwellings, where the organic matters in suspension or 

 solution will be taken up by vegetation. All tanks, reser- 

 voirs, cessj^ools, etc., may be always looked upon as likely 

 to cause serious trouble under the immense majority of cir- 

 cumstances. 



CINCINNATI HAMS. 



The health authorities of Paris have lately prohibited the 

 sale in that city of Cincinnati hams, which, as is well known, 

 are generally put up in canvas, colored of a brownish hue. 

 Accordino- to the results of a chemical investio-ation, this 

 color is due to chrome-yellow, or the chromate of lead, which 

 is in itself a highl}^ poisonous substance. 



Professor Bouchardat suggests, in a communication on the 

 subject, that if a brown color for this purpose is desirable, 

 there are numerous substances, such as curcuma and others, 

 which are entirely inoffensive, and which would be equally 

 valuable in producing the general effect of color. 12 JB^ May 

 15,1876,430. 



EXCLUSION OF DUST FEOM THE LUNGS. 



Dr. B. W. Richardson, in a series of lectures upon unhealthy 

 trades, recently delivered in London, mentions a new device 

 for the filtration of dust, the injuries from which are known 

 to be among the most serious to which mechanics and oper- 

 atives are subjected. Whenever filings and fine dust of any 

 kind are produced, it is very important to prevent the intro- 

 duction of particles of the foreign substance into the lungs, 

 as even an occasional exposure may do great harm, while 



