Discussion on Sanitation. 55 



a drink of Cromac surface water instead. Mr. Corry's spring is 

 right enough, but the surface water that is sold as Cromac is 

 not good for drinking purposes. As to open cisterns in small 

 houses, I can assure Mr. Macassey that the working classes 

 draw their supplies from the mains and not from cisterns, and 

 that the water they use is better as a rule than that used in 

 larger houses. The better class people on application to the 

 Commissioners can enjoy the same privilege. With regard to 

 dispensary doctors dying of typhus fever, I think it a mistake 

 to die of this disease. I and the other sanitary officers are in as 

 many houses of the kind as the doctors, and probably more, 

 and yet we never catch the disease, simply because we take the 

 necessary precautions. Sanitation I regard merely as the 

 prompt removal of filth. Ventilation is the removal of filth or 

 vitiated air from a room. I hold, as trees and plants are 

 purifiers, that every town should have as many open spaces as 

 possible. All we can do is to remove the filth of our atmosphere 

 up to a higher level, and allow nature to do the rest. I 

 recommend the ordinary domestic sanitary arrangements to be 

 placed outside the dwelling-house, and the filth to be removed 

 daily from the houses of the working classes. 



Mr. S. F. Milligan gave some useful hints as to the arrange- 

 ment of windows for the purposes of ventilation. He also stated 

 that people should be very careful about going into houses built 

 on cast material, or on soil that has not been drained. 



Mr. J. Brown referred to the introduction of the electric light 

 into dwelling-houses as having a beneficial sanitary effect. He 

 complained of the ventilation of some of the public buildings in 

 Belfast. 



Mr. John Lanyon dealt with the ventilation of sewers. He 

 suggested the destruction of impure gases by furnaces or the 

 lamps on the streets. 



Mr. Maxton having spoken, 



Mr. Wm. Gray moved the adjournment of the debate, which 

 was agreed to, the Society to give notice of the next meeting. 



