16 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



The President of our Board of Health is reported to have said that 

 " there has been a similar increase, during the last two years, all over 

 the world." It would be impossible to determine this fact, for the 

 reason that a large portion of the world makes no record of death. 

 Probably he said, or intended to say, that such was the fact in the 

 large cities of the most civilized portions of the world ; and inas- 

 much as this has not been a season of general epidemics, and there 

 have been no marked meteorological conditions to which it might be 

 ascribed, and in the absence of any other plausible explanation, it 

 would be quite as fair to attribute it to an extension of " modern im- 

 provements " in plumbing as to anything else. 



A system of sewerage for the city of Memphis, Tennessee, was 

 commenced January 20, 1880, and completed July 1, 1881. When 

 completed it was found that thirty-three miles of sewer-pipes had 

 been laid, and three thousand five hundred and seventy-nine water- 

 closets had been connected with the sewers. On comparing the mor- 

 tuary records of the year preceding the completion of the work, and 

 before the houses were connected with the sewers, with the year suc- 

 ceeding the completion, it appears that the mortality of the city has 

 materially increased although neither of these years was a year of 

 epidemic. The deaths from typhoid fever were the same each year ; 

 but the deaths from dysentery were nearly doubled, and the deaths 

 from diphtheria nearly quadrupled. 



The " system " adopted is approved by many of our best sanita- 

 rians ; but it was not carried out, in all respects, as recommended and 

 agreed upon, and therefore may not be regarded as a fair test of the 

 value of the peculiar system adopted. But we have the authority of 

 the gentleman who claims to be its inventoi*, to the effect that " the 

 drainage of houses and their connection with the sewers has been 

 admirably carried out under strict regulations, faithfully executed," 

 and that the system, so far as completed, is "an entire engineering 

 success." 



In view of the facts as above stated, there is a sort of grim humor 

 in the letter of a " citizen of Memphis," who says, in confirmation of 

 the value of the work already done, " Memphis is a redeemed city, 

 and we are thinking of putting on airs, and advertising it as a summer 

 resort." 



It has already been intimated that those to whom the public has 

 been accustomed to look for counsel upon this and allied subjects do 

 not differ so widely as some have supposed, but that there is actually 

 a very strong convergence of opinion as to what needs to be done. 



Professor Willard Parker, one of our most distinguished physicians, 

 after listening to the discussions of the Academy, said : " If I were to 

 build a house, I would not have it connected in any way with a sewer. 

 I would construct a sort of annex." Into which, Professor Parker 

 was understood to say, he would gather all the pipes and fixtures, 



