cil REPORT—1858. 
power of rapid extinction of conflagration which the unintermitting system 
affords,—the purity of the atmosphere in formerly foetid courts and alleys,— 
these and other inestimable material advantages have resulted, and will result 
with progressively increased benefit as time goes on. 
Lord Bacon observes, in his suggestions for an inquiry into the causes of 
death,—-“ And this inquiry, we hope, might redound to a general good, if 
physicians would but exert themselves and raise their minds above the sordid 
considerations of cure; not deriving their honour from the necessities of 
mankind, but becoming ministers to the Divine power and goodness both in 
prolonging and restoring the life of man; especially as this may be effected 
by safe, commodious, and not illiberal means, though hitherto unattempted. 
And certainly it would be an earnest of Divine favour, if, whilst we are jour- 
neying to the land of promise, our garments, these frail bodies of ours, were 
not greatly to wear out in the wilderness of this world.” 
Amongst his special topies of inquiry are these :— 
‘Inquire into the length and shortness of men’s lives according to the 
times, countries, climates, and places in which they were born and lived.” 
“Inquire into the length and shortness of men’s lives according to their 
food, diet, manner of living, exercise, and the like. With regard to the air 
in which they live and dwell, I consider that ought to be inquired into under 
the former article concerning their places of abode.” 
Now these inquiries have in our times been made chiefly in the form and 
by the authority of Sanitary Commissions; in the successful working of 
which the name of Epwin Cuapwicx stands foremost. 
By these commissions it has been shown, as a general result, that nearly 
one-half the prevalent diseases are due to one or other form of atmospheric 
impurity ; impurity from decomposing fecal or animal and vegetable matter, 
within and without human habitations, and beneath the sites of towns, and 
atmospheric impurity from over-crowding. 
For the prevention of the diseases arising from these causes, the sanitary 
physician must direct his requisitions not to the apothecary, but to the pro- 
fessor of new arts, which are only partially created,—the art of the sanitary 
architect and the art of the sanitary engineer. The latter has already been 
officially shown how he may collect water from natural and artificial springs, 
convey it into houses unintermittingly fresh, and without stagnation, and by 
its means remove from houses, through self-cleansing drains and self-clean- 
sing sewers, constantly and before noxious decomposition can commence, all 
feecal and waste animal and vegetable matter. 
In model dwellings, where the sanitary conditions have been as yet 
applied only in a rudimentary manner, the death-rate has, in fact, been 
steadily kept down to thirteen in a thousand, cr much less than one-half 
that which prevailed in London when Bacon lived, or little more than 
one-half of the death-rate which prevails there now. In fact, it is proved 
to be practicable to make those garments—the frail bodies of the popu- 
