president's address^section h, 155 



Sanitary Engineering is of ancient origin. The under- 

 ground works discovered at Jerusalem, and the Cloaca 

 Maxima at liome, as well as the remains of similar ancient 

 works in other parts of the world, clearly indicate that the 

 Jews and the Romans at least were fully alive to the necessity 

 of removing all decomposing matter and filth to places beyond 

 the city. Mr, B, Latham, in his work on Sanitary Engineer- 

 ing, states that, "Although these ancient examples of sanitary 

 works were executed when art and science had reached a 

 high degree of excellence, we come to a period in history 

 when both art and science declined, and with them the pro- 

 secution of those sanitary works which were of so beneficial 

 and useful a character ; in fact, the benefits derivable from 

 Sanitary Science seem to have been forgotten and ignored, and 

 the people sunk to lowest depths of sanitary neglect, from 

 which the powerful voices of ])lague, typhus, and cholera were 

 the first to arouse them," 



Sewerage and improved house drainage have done more 

 than anything else to lower the death-rate in England. 

 Sanitary measures of this character are most efHcacious in 

 preventing and controlling such diseases as enteric fever, 

 cholera, and diarrhceal diseases, Asiatic cholera has fre- 

 quently been introduced into cities in Europe, but it has 

 always failed to secure a foothold in those cases where the 

 sanitary arrangements and the cleanliness of the people have 

 been satisfactory. 



It has been frequently argued l)y competent authorities 

 that the neglect of sanitary precautions not only causes an 

 increase in the death-rate, but also a loss of even greater 

 importance, in the decreased vitality of the community. 



Sanitary Science has made rapid progress during the last 

 forty years, and it is at present exciting much attention in all 

 parts of the civilised world. Old theories and methods have 

 had to be abandoned, and new ones substituted for them. 

 Both theory and practice are far from perfect, and must be 

 modified as knowledge advances ; but the tendency is, 

 undoubtedly, in the direction of improving the conditions 

 under which we live. 



The organic waste products of our life Avhich liave been 

 referred to tend to contaminate the air, soil, and water. They 

 may not be offensive when first produced, but they rapidly 

 become so, and in the process of decomposition they become 

 powerful agents to do harm. It matters not whether these 

 wastes consist of animal or vegetable matter, or whether they 



