SYMPOSIUM OX SANITATION 65 



which is used as a coal bin. Few of us would indulge in much 

 bathing, if the bath meant starting a fire and going through 

 the tedious and costly operation of heating a water supply. 

 Better and cheaper methods of distributing both hot and cold 

 water are a genuine necessity in healthful housing. 



In the third place, sunlight cannot be depended on for 

 disinfection or as a substitute for cleanliness. Much emphasis 

 has been placed on the importance of securing sunlight in 

 rooms and it has been vigorously urged by those who are 

 combatting tuberculosis. There is danger of placing false 

 reliance upon it. The true value of an abundant supply of 

 light is that it is an aid in revealing uncleanly conditions 

 and serves moral and physical rather than bactericidal ends. 

 Many cities in their ordinances take the position that, if the 

 window space stands in a sufficiently high relation to the 

 floor area, all will be well. This does not necessarily follow, 

 as the window may be so curtained within or so obstructed 

 by nearby walls without as to fail to furnish needed illumina- 

 tion. The natural lighting of every room should be deter- 

 mined by other tests than size of window, such as ability to 

 read ordinary type at a given distance from the window dur- 

 ing certain hours of the day. It is of interest as bearing on 

 the construction of houses from the aspect of lighting to note 

 that a recent investigation made in Philadelphia (F. A. Craig, 

 Deaths from Tuberculosis. American Journal of Public Health, 

 Vol. III. No. 1) indicates that there is no relation between 

 the width of the street and the number of deaths from tuber- 

 culosis. 



In expressing my appreciation of the honor of addressing 

 the members of the Academy. I beg the privilege of asking 

 them to remember that, in so brief a treatment of so large a 

 topic as was assigned to me. it is difficult to keep a due sense 

 of proportion and to present views in such a way that they 

 will escape misconstruction. I trust, however, that I have 

 made perfectly clear my main thesis, which is that, if housing 

 is to bear the relation it should to the maintenance of a high 

 degree of health, it would be well to do away with some of 

 the extravagant and sentimental views which obstruct the 

 way and to develop the effective use of our present knowledge 

 and resources through more active cooperation between san- 

 itarians, architects, engineers, social workers, law makers, 

 hpiise keepers and even owners than now exists, 



