A DISTRICT HOSPITAL: ITS CONSTRUCTION" AND COST. 121 



and inoffensive, and may be conducted to the ward gutter. But, 

 as a rule, this will be unnecessary ; it being only essential to 

 remember that the destruction of the organic matter in the slop- 

 water is effected by the ground-air and near the surface, and that 

 therefore the. irrigation area must not be kept continually wet, but 

 be so divided and of such an extent that one part may be rested 

 while the other is at work. Unless this point is attended to, after 

 a short time the soil will cease to destroy the organic matter ; 

 it will become sodden, and then offensive. 



Water Supply. — The water must usually be caught on the roofs. 

 It may be conducted to an underground tank ; there is no objection 

 to this method of storage, which even has advantages, provided 

 the reservoir is made water-tight. But for this it is useless 

 to trust to brick and cement work. Doubtless this can be made 

 water-tight ; but, as a matter of fact, it very seldom is so. No 

 doubt also a sufficient thickness of puddle outside would serve ; 

 but it appears to me that asphalt affords the most suitable and the 

 most effective means. We have here a company actively engaged 

 in carrying out all kinds of work in this valuable material ; t and 

 it would be well if it were more generally employed for the 

 particular purpose I am now speaking of. There is no reason why 

 the rain water should not pass through a filter before entering the 

 tank. This should consist of a chamber divided by a septum 

 •extending from the top to within 3 or 4 inches of the bottom ; 

 empty on the supply side, but filled on the delivery side with layers 

 of gravel, breeze, and sand, so that the water ascends through the 

 filter bed. The size of such a tank is an important point. It will 

 depend first on the daily amount per head allowed multiplied by 

 the number of residents, and the rain fall of the district. I think 

 15 gallons per head per diem should be the minimum allowance ; 

 and the size of the reservoir will then depend upon the length of 

 rainless intervals usually met with in the course of a }^ear. The 

 area of the roof measured along the eaves and expressed in square 

 feet multiplied by one fourth the rainfall in inches will give the 

 amount of rain-water likely to be actually collected from this 

 source in gallons. At Kiama, as I have said, the water thus 

 collected is raised by a windmill to an overhead tank, whence it is 

 led to several parts of the building. But whenever this is done, 

 the underground tank should be provided with a floating guage, 

 •and it should be the duty of the wardsman, supervised by some 

 working member of the committeee to keep a record of the weekly 

 amount used, so that in dry weather economy may be observed. 



Closets. — It is necessary to add a word about the closets. These 

 are pans, which should, of course be emptied every day, and which 

 should be served after empting with some deodorant. They should 

 be removable from the outside by a suitably placed door which is 



