70 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[July 23, 1870. 
say what particular parasite may not he distributed and 
propagated by this dangerous agricultural process. 
‘‘May we not, indeed,” as Dr. Cobbold observes, “but 
too reasonably conjecture that the wholesale distribution 
of tape-worm eggs by the utilization of sewage on a stu¬ 
pendous scale, will tend to spread abroad a class of dis¬ 
eases, some of which are severely formidable ? So con¬ 
vinced am I,” he says, “ of the truth embodied in an 
affirmative reply to this latter query—so certain am I 
that parasites are propagated in this particular way—so 
surely do I foresee unpleasant results, if no steps be taken 
to counteract the evil, that I feel myself bound to. speak 
out boldly, and to produce no uncertain sound in the 
matter which most closely concerns humanity.” The 
whole question, in fact, is of vast hygienic importance. 
But, fifthly, let us see if the system, in a sanitary point 
of view, is so successful as to render the sewage innocu¬ 
ous, before its admission into a running stream. Go to 
a sewage farm after you have given due notice of your 
intended visit, and you will be taken to places where the 
subsoil water is running from the land apparently pure 
and drinkable; and no doubt with proper management, 
under proper conditions of thorough and effective filtra¬ 
tion, such a result may be achieved ; but the real ques¬ 
tion is how far this is really and practically accomplished, 
for it involves such a nice adjustment of all the appli¬ 
ances, such a continuous distribution of the sewage, over 
successive areas of land, and such constant supervision, 
that it is rarely effected. To judge of the results, there¬ 
fore, you must visit these places, as I have done, without 
previous notice, and you must examine the whole dis¬ 
trict, for it is not uncommon to find byways for the dis¬ 
posal of the sewage which the land will not take. Not 
long ago, as I have said, I visited Aldershot, with Mr. 
Hawksley, Mr. Eggar, and Professor Ansted. This you 
know is a pet place with the advocates of the system, but 
at the time of our visit we found that nearly all the 
sewage was passing along the carriers to the outfalls, 
and going bodily into the river. I took samples of the 
sewage as it entered the farm from the two camps, and 
as it flowed from the farm to the river. The original 
sewage contained 54 grs. of soluble matter per gallon, 
and 44 grs. of insoluble, each of which contained about 
30 grs. of organic matter. As it left the filter-tank it 
contained the same amount of soluble matter, and 35 grs. 
of suspended, of which about 26 grs. were organic. As 
it ran along the carriers to the lower part of the farm, it 
retained its black offensive character, and this was very 
marked upon that portion of the land where a little of it 
was distributed. At one of the outfalls into the Black- 
water river it contained 52 grs. of soluble matter per 
gallon, of which 28 grs. were organic; and 3-84 grs. of 
suspended matter. At three other outfalls from the farm 
the soluble matters amounted respectively to 52 grs., 58 
grs., and 54 grs. per gallon, of which 24 grs., 20 grs., 
and 22 grs. were organic; the suspended matters being 
26 grs., 6 grs., and 5 grs. per gallon respectively, of which 
12 grs., 2 grs., and 3 grs. were organic. At the several 
points of discharge into the river the sewage was black 
and fetid, and there were large accumulations of sewage 
mud in a high state of decomposition. I took a sample 
of the river water before it received the outfall sewage, 
and after; the former contained 19 grs. of soluble matter 
per gallon, and the latter 24 grs., of which the organic 
amounted to 3| grs. and 5 grs., the ammonia in the two 
cases being 0-264 of a grain, and L545 gr., showing an 
enormous pollution of the river by the so-called defe¬ 
cated sewage. Everywhere upon the land where the 
sewage had been distributed there were masses of fecal 
matter, waiting for the first heavy shower of rain to 
wash them away into the nearest outfall; the neigh¬ 
bouring ditches were in a most offensive condition, and 
we were told by the occupants of the houses adjoining 
the farm, that in times of flood the whole roadway was 
covered with sewage matters. Considering the praise 
which has been bestowed on the alleged success of this 
farm, I was not prepared to witness such a frightful 
condition of things. 
At the Craigintinny meadows, near Edinburgh, it is 
notorious that the outfall water from the farm is shock¬ 
ingly offensive, but as it rims into the sea it is not com¬ 
plained of as a nuisance. A like condition of things, but 
not to such an extent, I have seen at Norwood, at Rugby, 
at Warwick, and at Banbury; in fact, at the last-named 
place the ditches around the farm were full of sewage, 
and the water was running from the outfall in a very 
offensive state, showing that the system, although sus¬ 
ceptible of good results, is rarely so in practice, unless it 
receives an amoimt of attention that makes it a serious 
business. Besides which, there are times when no atten¬ 
tion will prevent the discharge of foul sewage from the 
land, as when the soil is heavy, and a flood of rain sweeps 
over it, and when vegetation is dormant. In winter 
time it will freeze upon the land and kill the grass, and, 
as it thaws, run off to the nearest stream. At Warwick 
we saw acres of ground thus despoiled, where the defe¬ 
cation of sewage was entirely a matter of surface filtra¬ 
tion. All authorities, indeed, agree that the success of 
this system is dependent upon a combination of circum¬ 
stances which are not always attainable, and upon the- 
strictest care and supervision. Even then, according to 
Dr. Frankland, although it may purify sewage to a great 
extent, it does not sufficiently purify it to render it ad¬ 
missible into potable water without danger; “the risk 
arising not only from the considerable amount of animal 
organic matters which the effluent water still retains in 
solution, but also from the absence of any guarantee for 
the removal of the germs or other noxious suspended 
matters which are frequently present in sewage.” 
The other means of dealing with sewage, so as to se¬ 
parate the suspended matters, and to remove a certain 
portion of those which are dissolved, is to submit it to 
chemical treatment. Already there are sufficient facts 
to enable us to review this part of the subject. 
At Leicester, at Hertford, and formerly at Tottenham, 
the sewage was defecated with lime, the lime being used 
to the extent of from 5 to 20 grs. per gallon of sewage. 
The treatment is effected by adding the lime to the sew¬ 
age, and then briskly agitating it; after which it flows 
into subsiding-tanks, where the sedimentary matters de¬ 
posit, and the clear supernatant water runs off by a weir 
placed a little below the surface. At Hertford the super¬ 
natant water is filtered before it is discharged into the 
outfall, and in summer time a little chloride of lime, 
amounting to about half a grain per gallon of sewage, is 
also employed, as it is found to deodorize the sewage, to 
check secondary putrefaction, and to prevent the growth 
of the sewer fungus in the outfall channel. In the year 
1858, when I first examined this process at Leicester and 
Tottenham, for Messrs. Bidder, Hawksley, and Bazal- 
gette, the referees appointed by the Metropolitan Board 
of Works to consider the question of the main drainage 
of the metropolis, I found that with 12 grs. of lime per 
gallon of sewage the whole, or nearly the whole, of the 
suspended matters were removed, and that the soluble 
organic matter fell from 13^ grs. per gallon to 10| grs. 
When 20 grs. of lime were used, the soluble organic 
matter fell to about 9 grs. On the occasion of a more 
recent visit to Leicester, with Dr. Frankland and Dr. 
Odling, at the instance of the Thames Conservancy 
Board, we found that the soluble matters of the sewage 
were reduced from 63 grs. per gallon to 48 grs.—the or¬ 
ganic matter falling from 15 grs. to 5 grs. At Hertford, 
where the original sewage is remarkably weak on account 
of subsoil water, I have ascertained from many experi¬ 
ments that the organic matter in solution is reduced from 
about 3 grs. per gallon to 1*6 gr. All these results ac¬ 
cord well with laboratory experiments, and they show, 
as I stated in my original report to the referees alluded 
to, that, “judging from the experiments which I have 
made, and the observations of practice on a large scale, 
it is ascertained that about 12 grs. of lime to a gallon of 
