14 
century. Mary Queen of Scots suffered from it, and in a letier of 
that period still extant it is fully described and referred to as ‘‘The 
new acquaintance’ There is also existing an account by a Dr. 
Short of a visitation of influenza to Madrid in 1510, when ‘two 
thousand were let blood off and all died,’’ and ‘‘ so great was the 
mortality, that the poor fought for coffins for their dead relations.” 
It is mdeed a cause for congratulation that owing to a more 
enlightened system of treatment, no such appalling results have 
occurred during the present epidemic. 
One of the most important subjects which science has yet to 
solve is that of free ventilation for our large cities. In Dr. Ballard’s 
report, which was presented last session to Parliament, he enforces 
the necessity of sufficiently wide streets, that these should be 
broken at frequent intervals by cross streets or squares, aud that 
every house should have free breatling space, back as well as front. 
He also emphasises the point that all places where food is prepared, 
sold, or stored, should be freely exposed both to light and air, and 
lastly that cleanliness in all such places should be enforced by 
local authorities to the utmost of their power. Dr. Ballard also 
insists that the practice of keeping food in a cellar or underground 
pantry in a private dwelling-house cannot be too strongly depre- 
cated. : 
Referring to another important point of sanitation, Mr. William 
Webster’s invention for disposing of sewage by electricity is one 
worthy of attention. The sewage flows through a long channel, in 
which are a number of iron plates, connec ed with a dynamo and 
traversed by the electric current ; it is thus brought into immediate 
contact with the electric force, and a chemical action is set up, by 
which the suspended matters are precipitated. So effectual is this 
action in purifying the sewage that, parodoxical as it may seem, a 
powerful disinfectant is produced from it consisting of hypochlorous 
acid, the strongest oxydising agent known. The working cost of 
this scheme is said to be only thirteen shillings per million gallons. 
or six-tenths of one farthing for a thonsand gallons. The annual 
cost for the whole of London is therefore reckoned at about £36,000 
per annum. 
Another method of treating sewage is that of Mr. Hugo Woll- 
heim. This process consists of mingling milk of lime and herring 
brine with the sewage, which is then run into tanks to settle. The 
lime averages 47 grains, and the herring brine three grains per 
gallon of sewage. The suspen’ed matters are precipitated in about 
half an hour, and a clear effluent is produced, which Dr. Klein 
pronounces absolutely free from living organisms, and the residium 
of sludge is perfectly inoffensive. The cost of materials ranges 
from 4d. to $d per thousand gallons, or about £2 or £3 per million 
