SYMPOSIUM ON PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEMS 89 
RELATION OF PUBLIC WATER SUPPLIES AND 
SEWERAGE TO PUBLIC HEALTH 
PauL Hanson, CHIEF SANITARY ENGINEER 
ILLINOIS STATE BOARD OF HEALTH 
Public water supplies of one sort or another are of great an- 
tiquity, and the most notable examples of the early public water 
supplies are those built by the Romans, the most notable feature 
of which were high and beautiful stone aqueducts for crossing 
valleys. The aqueducts were necessary in those days because 
suitable piping had not been devised. The remains of these 
aqueducts cannot but excite admiration for the engineering 
courage of those days. During the middle ages public water 
supplies practically ceased to exist, and even the purpose of 
the Roman acqueducts was forgotten. In the sixteenth cent- 
ury, however, public water supplies were installed in London 
and Paris, but the distribution systems were limited, and the 
water was not delivered to houses. 
Practically no advance was made until the early part of the 
nineteenth century, when the introduction of cast iron pipe, 
and the development of pumping machinery made possible the 
public water supply as we now understand it. Even so, during 
the early part of the century, progress was very slow, and in 
1850 there were but 83 public water supplies in the United 
States. Beginning about 1870 water works were installed in 
rapidly increasing numbers. The Manual of American Water- 
works for 1896 shows a total of about 3200 water supplies, and 
a recently published Waterworks Directory indicates that 
there were in 1914 over 5,000 public water supplies. We are 
now beginning to accept the viewpoint that no municipality 
is too small to have a public water works, 
Notwithstanding the fact that even in ancient times there 
was an appreciation of danger to the public health from the 
use of impure water, this danger was generally disregarded 
until very recent times. As late as 1905 or 1906 most public 
water supplies, instead of being a protection to public health, 
constituted an exceedingly great menace to public health. Water 
supplies were installed primarily for fire protection and gen- 
eral convenience, and not as a means for securing a pure drink- 
ing water. Generally an adequate quantity for large cities 
