SANITARY SEWERAGE. 531 



nor the appliances to effectively cope with the evil such as in these 

 clays are available. In England, which may justly be regarded as 

 the birthplace of sanitary science, the ravages made by epidemics 

 were found to be aggravated and intensiiicd by the unsanitary 

 condition of the areas afteeted, countervailing measures were 

 instituted, which constantly advancing in efficiency by experience, 

 and assisted by the wonderful discoveries in science, have proved 

 of inestimable value to the British race. 



It has been said of a leading sanitary engineer in England, 

 tliat tlie reduction of the death-rate, in districts in which he liad 

 carried out sanitary works, represented the total saving of 200,000 

 lives. 



It was recently stated by the Government Statistician that the 

 sanitary improvements effected witliin the City of Sydney have 

 resulted in an estimated saving of six hundred lives jjer annum, 

 whilst the increasing density of population on the suburban areas 

 without concurrent sanitary precautions, has caused an advance in 

 the death-rate of the suburban population which represents the loss 

 of eight hundred lives per annum. Sanitary science is progressing, 

 and the improvements in the design, construction, and consequently 

 the efficiency of sanitary works indicate more satisfactory results in 

 the future. Deaths from febrile or zymotic diseases are generally 

 preventable, and with a perfect sanitary system such diseases 

 should have no place in a community. 



The death-rate of this city (Sydney) for the year 1886 was 17.06 

 per thousand, and for 1887, 14.62 per thousand; these are very 

 favourable reports, and no doubt are largely due to the general 

 adoption of the water can'iage system of sewerage. It is found, 

 however, that the proportion of deaths due to zymotic or febrile 

 diseases is about thirteen per cent., and this indicates tliat the 

 sewerage system is not as efficient as it should be. 



Experience has shown that the water carriage system of sewerage 

 properly applied is capable of effecting immense improvements in 

 the sanitary condition of populated areas. This system has often 

 been assailed and condemned, yet it is constantly being resorted 

 to with greater or less measures of success. It is true that in 

 far too many instances the results have not been very satisfactory, 

 and if the system did not admit of greater efficiency than these 

 examples exhibit, the condemnation hurled against it would be 

 justified. But the system must not be judged in this manner, 

 because in tliese instances where it has proved inefficient and 

 unsanitary, the designers were either ignorant of, or imperfectly 

 understood the first principles upon which a sanitary system is 

 based, or having some acquaintance with these principles did not 

 know how to apply them to practice. And it must be borne in 

 mind that these principles and the best methods of applying them 

 liave been developed gradually and are the outcome of the expe- 

 rience of the past, combined with the results of scientific research. 



