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HOME HYGIENE. 



to become obstructed. If the flush-tank be 

 not used, the lidded opercular or access pipe 

 will be found that most convenient, as, in case 

 of obstruction of the pipe, access can be gained 



gft ^ 



immediately to the point of obstruction. The 

 construction of the access-pipe will be readily 

 understood by reference to the cut. 



9. Inspection. The following points in ref- 



JJ 



FIG. 8. " ACCESS " PIPES. 



erence to the inspection of houses suspected of 

 being in an unsanitary condition are proper to 

 be observed : 



The inspector will note the location of the 

 dwelling with reference to its surroundings, 

 and the character of the soil on which the 

 house is built. It is also to be noted whether 

 or not the walls be damp, and whether the 

 basement be free from odor. During the in- 

 spection of the basement, the location of the 

 house- drain should be noted if practicable. In 

 proceeding to the upper floors, the inspector 

 will note any odors that may exist indicating 

 the presence of escaping coal-gas or illuminat- 

 ing gas; the means of ventilation, whether 

 natural or artificial, should also be observed. 

 The closets should be inspected, and each sta- 

 tionary wash-stand, or other point for the pos- 

 sible entrance of sewer-air, carefully examined. 

 If the soil-pipe extend through or above the 

 roof, an assistant should empty half an ounce 

 of oil of pepperment into the soil-pipe. In 

 two or three minutes the inspector should visit 

 the bath-room and other places where there 

 are waste-pipes and traps, and if these be in a 

 leaking condition the smell of the oil will soon 

 pervade the apartment. This should in no case 

 be done by the inspector himself, as he will 

 then be unable to detect the presence of the 

 oil, owing to the saturation of his garments 

 with the effluvia. In case the soil-pipe does 

 not extend above the roof, the oil may be 

 placed in the house-drain just below the out- 

 let of the soil-pipe, and the drain speedily cov- 

 ered over to prevent a diffusion of the perfume 

 through the air. 



In case a pipe be obstructed from any cause, 

 the point of obstruction may be determined by 

 the use of small canes or rattans, screwed to- 

 gether like the joints of a fishing-rod. A sam- 

 ple of the drinking-water should be taken for 

 purposes of analysis. In case the water-supply 

 be from a well, and there are sinks emptying 

 into the yard, or a privy near, a gallon or two 

 of strong brine should be thrown into them, 

 and another visit made after two or three days, 

 for the purpose of securing a second sample of 

 the well-water for analysis. 



10. Drinking- Water. Drinking-water is ob- 

 tained from wells, springs, streams, ponds, lakes, 

 or cisterns. Wells furnish drinking-water for the 

 major portion of the inhabitants of the earth, 

 although among the Western civilized nations 

 the cities and larger towns are supplied from 

 natural streams, ponds, or lakes, by means of 



aqueducts. At first sight it would appear that 

 water which is pleasant to the taste and inof- 

 fensive to the eye, and without odor, would 

 be that most healthful, but this does not appear 

 to be the case. Indeed, science has not y 

 furnished us with a satisfactory solution of tl 

 extent to which water must be polluted in o: 

 der to make it absolutely unwholesome. Th 

 Hindoos habitually drink the most disgustm 

 water, especially those who derive their wa 

 supply from tanks. These tanks are simpl 

 reservoirs which are filled during the rain 

 season, and it is stated by Dr. Simmons, in th 

 " Ghinese Customs Medical Reports," 1880, t 

 "the water of these tanks is used not only t 

 quench thirst, but is said to be drunk in ad 

 ditional quantities as a sacred duty. At th 

 same time the reservoir serves as a large wash- 

 ing-tub for clothes, no matter how dirty, or in 

 what way soiled, as well as for personal bath- 

 ing." And we are informed by the same au- 

 thority that the Hindoo "can not be made to 

 use a latrine. In the cities he digs a hole in his 

 habitation ; in the country the fields, the hill- 

 sides, the banks of streams or rivers. . , 

 Hence it is that the vicinity of towns, the ban 

 of the watercourses, reek with filth of the wo 

 description, which is of necessity washed in 

 the public water-supply with every rainfall." 

 Although thousands of Hindoos annually pe 

 ish from epidemic diseases, yet their fruitfuln 

 is such that it does not appear that the popula- 

 tion has materially diminished. The w r ater-sup- 

 ply of China, as compared with India, is compar- 

 atively uncontaminated, yet it is highly charged 

 with organic matter. Many wells are cement- 

 ed for a considerable distance for the purpose 

 of keeping out the surface-drainage, but it is 

 obvious that this is only a makeshift and does 

 not fulfill the purpose, inasmuch as the ground- 

 water will rise in the bottom of the well and 

 its sides below the cemented wall. It is an 

 almost universal custom of the Chinese to boil 

 the water before drinking, even when tea is 

 not drunk. Their immunity from diseases pro- 

 duced by bad drinking-water is attributed to 

 this fact. Experiments have recently been 

 made by a scientific enthusiast in Europe upon 

 himself, by drinking ditch-water teeming with 

 infusoria, and, as he alleges, without harmful 

 result. It is to be remembered in this connec- 

 tion that an investigation of the towns and 

 villages in civilized nations where the water- 

 supply is derived from wells has developed the 

 fact that the privy is usually placed within a 





