188 president's address — section I. 



The great points to be attended to in connection with all structures 

 having to do with food supply — whether slaughter-houses, cowhouses, 

 dairies, bakehouses, meat or fish or vegetable markets — are to build 

 them of materials and on a plan easily kept clean, and to provide 

 in connection with them proper means of disposing of all their 

 refuse — solid or liquid. 



Proper inspection of fruit and vegetable markets is usually much. 

 neglected. At Glasgow, New York, and Paris properly organised 

 services for this purpose do much good. 



The detective work carried on by the public analysts of the local 

 boards of health is very important. The results of this work in 

 Great Britain, that can be definitely appraised, are the great and 

 steady diminutions that are continuously occurring in ihe numbers 

 of adulterated articles among those submitted to examination. The 

 precise effect of this diminution of adulteration upon the public 

 health is difficult to exactly determine, but what is sure is that the 

 public health has improved /»«/•« passu with the improvement in the 

 purity of food. 



MEASURES FOR SECURING THE HEALTHINESS OF HOUSES. 



New houses are comparatively easily dealt with where there are 

 proper by-laws and regulations setting forth the conditions under 

 which they may be built and occupied. The sanitary portion of 

 these by-laws should not only regulate drainage and ventilation, 

 but should have regard to the nature of the site on which a house 

 is to be built and the open spaces that are to be left about it, and 

 should insure its thorough inspection and the testing of its drains 

 before its occupation. This is done in many towns with very use- 

 ful results, the experience of New York illustrating what I have 

 said as to the efficacy of \mremitting inspection. At first the 

 notices served had frequently to be enforced by legal proceedings ; 

 but soon the astute builders of the empire city found out that it 

 Avas cheaper to fulfil the building regulations than to try to evade 

 them. I am sorry that my experience of colonial life shows me 

 that the great want is not provision of good laAvs and regulations, 

 but of steady determination to enforce them. 



There is more difficulty in dealing with the unhealthy condition 

 of existing buildings. This difficulty arises not so much from the 

 impracticability Avhich often exists of effectually remedying 

 structural defects as from financial considerations in connection 

 with the fact that unhealthy dwellings are, as a rule, occupied by 

 the poor, and are often owned by them. Improving them usually 

 means raising their rents; demolishintr them often deprives the poor 

 of homes near their work. To the evils arising from the actually 

 unhealthy condition of a house are often added those arising from 

 overcrowding. The poorer a family becomes the less accommoda- 



