Excerpt from Sewer Gas and Its Influence Upon Health: Treatise

Although a great deal has been written at one time or another about the influence sewer gas exerts upon health, yet, in the author's opinion, the published information has dealt invariably only with one or two aspects of this question, and not with the whole, and the student of sanitary science was left to grope his way in the dark, as it were, and without guide through this apparent chaos, emerging therefrom probably after having formed a very one-sided opinion.

This state of things the author has endeavoured to remedy in the treatise before the reader, and although he is fully aware that great gaps still exist in our knowledge concerning the subject, he hopes he has succeeded in shedding some light upon it, and upon the way that will lead to its ultimate elucidation.

Questions affecting Nature and the processes by which she works her marvellous changes Should, in the author's Opinion, not be looked upon from one standpoint only, but ought to be viewed in their entirety and with their surroundings, otherwise one is apt to exaggerate the importance of one or more symptoms and leave others - equally important, or perhaps more sol-altogether unobserved. It is therefore to the harmonious working together Of a number of specialists - such as the chemist, the medical man, the bacteriologist, botanist, and engineer - that the author looks for the true answer concerning a number Of questions affecting the health of individuals and communities.

In the search for material wealth this age has at times apparently forgotten scientific research, which did not promise some immediate material return; but there are hopeful indications that such temporary neglect is passing away, and that in future the scientific side Of many practical sanitary questions will receive due consideration. It is then to be hoped that full light will be thrown upon many subjects at the present still shrouded in mystery.

Since writing the treatise the author's attention has been drawn to two explosions which have occurred in the septic tank at Exeter. In the first, the City Surveyor of Belfast narrowly escaped and in the second, the City Surveyor of York is said to have received severe burns, and such a shock to his nervous system, that he has been obliged to keep to his bed at an Exeter hotel for some days.

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com

This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.