Excerpt from The Sanitary Problems of Chicago: Past and Present

IT is interesting to notice how little the elements of mere beauty of loca tion, or healthfulness of surroundings, as things worthy to be considered, enter into the locating of towns which, in the usual growth of business and population, become large cities. Facilities for primitive trade and barter are the elements which generally first determine the sites of future cities. Careful selection of a site with reference to the wants of a large population from the necessities of the case cannot be made, and in many instances where it was supposed all the conditions obtained, failures have occurred. The sanitary problems that subsequently arise unite the necessity of accept ing its deficiencies in regard to water supply, to soil, to atmosphere, to loca tion and topography, with that of applying such artificial remedies and modifications as may be appropriate and practicable.

Marsh, in his work on Man and Nature, says, The influence of man in changing the climate and the physical condition of a country needs no argument to substantiate it. Withdraw man, and you remove the disturber of all laws. People must be awakened to the necessity of restoring the disturbed harmonies of nature, where well-balanced influences are so pro pitious to all her organic offspring 5 of repaying to our great mother the debt which the prodigality and thriftlessness of former generations have imposed upon their successors, thus fulfilling the command of religion and of practi cal wisdom, to use this world as not abusing it. He further says, I am satisfied that we can become the architects of our own abiding place, as it is well known how the mode of our physical, moral, and intellectual being is affected by the character of the home Providence has appointed, and we have fashioned for our own material habitation.

Such is undoubtedly the case, and it becomes our duty as far as possible to restore this harmony which is destroyed by the accumulation of human beings. The collection of many people in a small space, no matter for what purpose, is unnatural and artificial and it is therefore necessary, in order to prevent the ill effects of such accumulations, to resort to artificial means of neutralizing the disturbing agencies.

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