iSanitari/ Effects of Land Draining. 
157 
part, I have declared, for several years, in various companies, that marsh 
miasmata are the cause of hotli agues and the rot. And as miasmata 
are aihnitted, hy the concurring testimonies of medical practitioners in 
every part of the globe, to be produced by the action of the sun upon 
low, swampy grounds, I hope this interesting subject will be fully inves- 
tigated, and etJectual plans carried into execution, for the preservation of 
man, and of the animals which are so useful to him." 
I may here mention a circumstance which occurred at the Poor 
Law Commission Office, and which with succeeding information 
tended to direct our attention to the subject of sanitary measures 
of prevention for the protection of the rates. A medical officer 
of one of the Unions, who came to town for the transaction of 
some business before the Board, begged to be favoured by the 
immediate despatch of his business, inasmuch as, from a change 
of weather which had taken place since his departure, he was cer- 
tain that he should liave a number of cases waiting for him. On 
being asked to explain the circumstances from which he inferred 
the occurrence of disease with so much certainty, he stated that 
within his district there was a reservoir to feed a canal : that they 
had let out the water as they were accustomed to do in spring 
time for the purpose of cleansing it ; and that whenever such 
weather occurred as then pi-evailed during the process, he was 
sure to have a great number of fever cases amongst the labourers 
in the village which immediately adjoined the reservoir. It 
appeared to be, in fact, a case in which the rot was propagated 
amongst the labourers in the village under circumstances similar 
to those before cited in which it was propagated amongst the 
sheep. 
The following portions of evidence afford instances of the con- 
dition in which a larger proportion of the country remains, from 
the neglect of general land drainage, than would be conceived 
from any a priori estimate of the amount of prevalent intelligence 
and enterprise. 
Mr. R. W. Martyr, one of the medical officers of the Langport 
union, thus describes the condition of a large proportion of his 
district : — 
" The parishes of Kingsbury and Long Sutton being the district No. 
1 B of the Langford union, the population of which amounts to above 
3000; Kinghury, containing 2000 ; and Long Sutton 1000, or there- 
abouts. Both these parishes are partly surrounded by low meadow land, 
and are liable to frequent inundations, often covering many thousand 
acres, and sometimes to a great depth ; the level of much of this land, 
being below the bed of the main river or drains, makes it very difficult 
(when once inundated) in very wet seasons to drain or carry off the im- 
mense body of water they often contain. 
" These inundations are caused by the banks of the main rivers not 
being sufficiently strong or elevated, and from the bridges not being 
