184 VETERINARY HYGIENE 



they will be overturned. If dry or semi-dry food is given to the 

 animals then a water-trough must be provided so that they may 

 get a sufficiency of fluid. 



DAMPNESS IN BUILDINGS AND ITS PREVENTION. 



Dampness in walls and floors is usually due to bad construction 

 and neglected repairs. It may arise from leakages from the roof, 

 or the wall surfaces, or from the absence of damp-resisting courses. 

 Even where a damp-resisting course exists, its presence may be 

 nullified by the outer ground being piled against the wall above 

 the damp-resisting course level. 



Leaky Roofs. A slate or tile displaced or missing from a roof 

 will form a direct inlet for rainwater, which runs down the roof 

 boarding to the wallhead, where it spreads in every direction, soak- 

 ing the wall. Succeeding frosts and thaws expand the moisture 

 and displace the stones or bricks and mortar, every frost leaving 

 wider gaps for a more powerful attack during the next frost. 

 Roofs of all kinds should be examined regularly and repairs made 

 without delay. 



Damaged Gutters and Rain-Pipes. Broken, cracked or choked 

 gutters in roofing are also disastrous to the security of the building 

 if neglected, as water not only runs down the wall face but lodges 

 round the foundations, further aggravating the damp in the walls, 

 which ultimately spreads to the flooring inside the building. All 

 cast-iron and zinc rain conductor pipes should be examined care- 

 fully for cracks after a hard frost. These cracks often take place 

 on the surface of the pipe next the wall, and are not easily observed. 

 Such cracking sometimes originates from a choked bend at the foot 

 of the conductor pipe, causing the pipe to stand full of water, which 

 becomes frozen, expands, and thereby does damage. The absence 

 of gutters and down pipes is always false economy. 



The Absence of Damp Courses. The damp-resisting, or, as it is 

 often called, " damp-proof " course in a wall will be of little use 

 unless it is of the proper description and in the right position. In 

 erecting a new building care should be taken to keep the damp- 

 resisting course above the ground level and below the floor level, 

 where at all possible. The wall should be carefully levelled and 

 made free from loose, rough stones, bricks or pebbles. Everything 

 sharp, which is likely to cut through the course after pressure is 

 brought to bear upon it, should be carefully removed. It is a good 

 plan to level-up in preparation for the damp-resisting course with 

 a coat of cement mortar, finished smooth. 



