AlJT, XX. — RepoH nf the Ci'eiaoiloiK Cohomitlee oj the 

 lioijal Society of Vlctorhi, ((ppolhted. to eiujiiire into 

 and report upon " CreDudiori " and other methods of 

 ditipo.siii;/ of th.e dead, with, pariit-vJii.r re</ard to 

 hyyieve <iiul economy. 



To THE PUKSIDKNT AMD MkMBEKS OF THE RoYAL SOCIETY 



OF Victoria. 



Your Committee lias tlie honour to lepoit that it ha.s 

 lield two preliminary and tliiee general meetings, and 

 has considered the various methods pro]iosed for the sanitary 

 and economic disposal of the dead. Your Conunittee linds 

 from tiie evidence collected, that burial now entirely fails to 

 satisfy the demands of hygiene. There aic the strongest 

 reasons for concluding that giaveyards have been in the 

 past, and are now, prolific sources of deadly disease, not 

 only by reason of mephitic vapouis arising thence into thi; 

 atmosphere, but also b}' ])ei'colation of putrid liquid matter 

 in water diainage to considerable distances. Many cases 

 have notoriously occurre<l, in which wells have been demon- 

 strabl}' poisoned in this manner at long distances fiom the 

 source of infection. The i-isk of this is immens(,'ly aggravated 

 as ])Opulation increases. In America, Europe, and Victoria 

 itself the towns grow and surround the cemeteries, which 

 soon become full. New ones ai'e formed further away, and 

 the land, being imperatively requiied by the living, the 

 bodies are unceremoniously removed from the old giuveyards,- 

 which ai'e generally used tor building blocks, public gardens, 

 and other purposes. The removal is a dangerous process, 

 the distuibance of the putrid, poisonous remains having 

 been almost certainly the cause of outbreaks of malignant 

 disease epidemics. It is practically impi:>ssible to find a site 

 for a cemetery anywhere in the vicinity of towns, such 

 that there would be no danger to healtii to the living, in 

 which the air, the water, and the earth of tiie neiglibouriiood 

 would be secure from the dea;llv containination. 



