REPORT OF THE ROYAL COMMISSION ON SEWAGE.

REPORT OF THE ROYAL COMMISSION ON SEWAGE. Mr. LOVIBOND ably developed the trans- at Leicester, and the Economical Application of it to the Meparent falsity as well as the abominable character of the state tropolis ;" and an elaborate (if we may term it so) discussion took place, in which Mr. Chadwick, Mr. Sidney, Mr. Mechi, ments sworn to. Upon what evidence, asked this gentleman, Dr. Glover, Dr. Copland, Mr. Rawlinson, Dr. Letheby, and was a conviction sought ? Why, upon that of a woman who others, took a part. The report of the Commission, along with admitted that she had been infected with a foul disorder for this discussion, gives us all the views entertained at present nine years, and was under the professional care of the defend- with regard to this important subject. When we consider the extent to which the sewage of towns ant, who well knew her sad condition. Was it probable, in is likely to be carried, and the great increase of large towns, it the slightest degree, that a medical practitioner having this is manifest that some remedy must be discovered. The Commisknowledge would act as the defendant was imputed to have sion remark " that the increasing pollution of the rivers and done ? The slightest noise in thesurgerywould have exstreams of the country is an evil of national importance, which cited the attention of the gentleman’s wife and of the serurgently demands the adoption of remedial measures; that the vant, and brought upon either party a humiliating discovery. discharge of sewage and of the noxious refuse of factories into The very fact that the woman (according to her own con- them is a source of miasma and danger to health; that it acts fession) made no alarm, sufficiently proved that the accu- injuriously, act only on the locality where it exists, but also on The truth was, the population of the districts through which the polluted sation was false and full of - malignity. rivers flow; that it poisons the water which, in many cases, as Mr. LOVIBOND observed, " the woman and her children forms the sole supply of the population for all purposes, in"had been attended by Mr. -, and, according to her own cluding drinking; that it destroys the fish; and generally that "statement, he had done her more good than any other sur- it impairs the value and the natural advantages derived from " geon. She was indebted to him £5, and had not paid him rivers and streams of water." And they go on to point out " "a singlefarthing." We need scarcely say that the magis- that the evil, great as it is, is extremely slight as compared to it will become when what sewage and drainage works trates dismissed the charge. have been carried into full effect." _ _ _ _,——————— The Report can only be regarded as a preliminary step. The it is true, propose a mode of dealing with London Commission, AT length there is some probability that the just claims of but we should have expected from a Royal Commissewage; the Poor-law surgeons to redress may meet with the attention sion some positive experiments. Why not, for instance, take of Government. It will be seen by the correspondence pub- a sewer, and experiment upon it?9 The great difficulty in lished at page 448 that the Poor-law Board has appointed the dealing with sewage, in an economical point of view, is its 7th of May, at twelve o’clock at noon, to receive a deputation extreme dilution. Where sewage water can be directly applied from the Poor-law medical officers. We call attention to Mr. to land, its value is incontestable; but it is not sufficiently GRIF-FIN’S letter, in the earnest hope that the deputation in concentrated to bear expense of transport. In th case of the meadows, 325 imperial acres receive the sewage of question may exercise that influence to which its importance Edinburgh half of the city, and the crops of grass sell from X20 to L30 so clearly entitles it. There is no class of men whose the acre. Here there are no pipes nor pumps; the sewage is claims to consideration are so universally admitted, nor who distributed The Commission show that by gravitation. simply have effected so much for the public good under most dis- offensive smells are not necessarily a part of this systemthe heartening and depressing influences. Fortunately, with vegetation absorbs the offensive gases so rapidly that no smell is perceptible in five minutes from the application of the sewage. some melancholy exceptions, they have af late been energetic What offence there is, arises from the deposit of solid matters and united in urging their claims upon Parliament. Never in the open drains and ditches through which the sewage on any previous occasion have so many petitions been presented passes. The most extensive system of irrigation with sewage to the House of Commons. They have an indefatigable and is that carried out at Milan, where the liquid refuse of the town sagacious leader. They have a just cause. They have the is employed to irrigate about 4000 acres of land; and although sympathies of Parliament; and we believe that we may state the quantity of solid matter is extremely small-so small that that the Poor-law Board will earnestly unite with them to the stream of the great sewer called the Vettabbia is nowhere so muddy as the Thames between the bridges-much of the effect such changes as may be most conducive not only to their land irrigated is so rich " that the surface is pared off every interest, but to the welfare of the poor entrusted to their few years, not, as erroneously stated by some writers on the charge. Mr. SOTHERON, the new President of the Board, is subject, in order to preserve the level of the lands for irriuniversally respected as a benevolent and most intelligent gation, but to obtain the vegetable matter, which becomes in time too luxuriant in growth, as material for manure for other man. lands, for which it is highly prized." Eighty acres in one farm so irrigated support a hundred cows REPORT OF THE ROYAL COMMISSION ON stall-fed, and yield six crops of grass annually; the manure of SEWAGE. the cattle is used elsewhere, no manure, except the sewagewater, being required for the land. The Commission examined THE very great importance of the object for which this Com- into the effect of this system on the health of the neighbourmission was appointed is now fully recognised. Every one is hood. They found that in the very proximity of the irrigated aware that in the wasted sewage of towns a loss is sustained land there was danger from the diseases common where extenwhich the mines of California and Australia might not replace. sive tracts of vegetation are alternately covered with water To discover, in the words of the Royal Commission, "the best and then exposed, when comparatively dry, to the action of the mode of distributing the sewage of towns, and applying it to atmosphere under a hot sun. But they found what they were beneficial and profitable uses," would be indeed to solve a, great not prepared to expect, that at a distance of a quarter of a mile from the part irrigated, there was no injurious influence. problem. The Commission was appointed on the 5th of January of last, It is manifest that the application of sewage in this way year. On the 10th of December previously a paper was readl can be only of partial use. The Commission, therefore, probefore the Society of Arts by Mr. Cooke, " On the UtilizationLceed to the difficult part of the problem-viz., the dealing with of the Sewage of Towns by the Deodorizing Process establishedthe sewage of much larger towns, as London, Manchester,

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REPORT OF THE ROYAL COMMISSION ON SEWAGE. the case of large inland towns, not seated tidal rivers, threatens to be even worse than that of the metropolis. Thus, in the case of Birmingham, the little river Tame, before it reaches that town, receives the sewage of towns

Birmingham, &c. ; on

which Paris possesses in this respect will appreciate the merits of the proposal; but we cannot believe that such works could be executed according to the estimate in the Report for the comparatively moderate sum of three millions and a half

containing a population of 270,000 persons. In dry seasons it sterling. There are two points to which attention is particularly called. may be said, without exaggeration, to contain as much sewage as water; yet this abominable puddle supplies part of Birming" The objections which may possibly be raised against this ham with water for all purposes, including the drinking water scheme are—1st, that the liquid discharged into the river will not be absolutely pure; and 2ndly, that the precipitating reserof no less than 50,000 people! The application of the sewage of small towns by means of voirs may themselves become a nuisance." With reference to pipes, pumps, and other mechanical means, presents no great the first point, It need only again be observed that those who difficulty. The Commission point out that in some places, as under any circumstances expect absolute purity of the Thames Rugby and Watford, the error is committed of applying the will certainly be disappointed; but that its comparativepurity - that is, purity to the extent of freeing it from the offensive sewage to more land than it is capable of fertilizing. The Commission have arrived at a modification of the pre- and injurious properties of the sewage of the metropolis-will cipitating process. The great practical exemplification of the be secured. With reference to the second point, it may be adprecipitating and deodorizing process is carried out at Leicester. mitted that deodorizing establishments on a large scale, and of There the sewage is mixed, when fresh, with cream of lime, the the ordinary class, would at times generate a certain amount lime being in the proportion of from two to sixteen grains to of nuisance; but the constructions here proposed are not of the the gallon. The effect of this is to deodorize the sewage, and nature of deodorizing establishments, as usually understood or precipitate a large portion of its solid matter; seven-eighths, it as usually conducted. It has already been stated that the is said, of the solid matter is so deposited as a fine mud. nuisance of deodorizing works arises mainly from the exposure This deposit is collected by suitable machinery, and finally of the deposited matter, and from the processes necessary for dried in the form of firm flat slabs, forty inches square by three its manufacture into a portable manure. Nothing of this sort inches thick, which are sold for manure. The value of it is would here take place. The reservoirs would be, in fact, de. tached lengths of large sewers, in which deposit would take some 3s. or 4s. a ton, and it appears to meet with purchasers; but it is hardly to be expected that this would be the case place, as in the tidal sewers now of Southwark and Westminster, were the process to be applied to the enormous sewage of but they would differ from these latter in being altogether free London. The product yielded by Mr. Wicksteed’s process con- from the objections which attach to them. The sewage in these tains only 0 ’72 per cent. of ammonia. Were the London sewage new sewers or reservoirs would be always deodorized; they to be so treated, no less than 300,000 tons would be annually would have no external opening in the shape of gullies for the produced. But the report of the Commission states correctly, emission of foul air, nor would offensive smells escape from that the question is, not only whether the sewage can be them under any circumstances, and they would be at a distance made serviceable to agriculture, but whether or not there from habitations, instead of being in the midst of and in inimeexists a method which, consistently with a fair expenditure of diate connexion with them." The metropolis, according to this plan, would be treated like money, will practically rid us of the nuisance and danger of town sewage. several large towns, with separate outfalls. In conclusion, we have in this Report a practical proposal, At Leicester the sewage is so effectually purified, that which had inhabit which seems not unlikely to be carried into effect; but no ceased to the since the fish, river, have, further advance is made in the important point of deodorof the found their its to waters. application process, again way The process, however, of drying the precipitate in the air is izing the sewage, and it appears to us that this very point exposed to inconvenience, and is itself a nuisance; consequently is precisely that which is best suited for the labours of such the Commission propose to limit the process to the precipita- a commission. We are very sanguine as to the result so tion of the solid materials by the lime, and then to pump the much to be desired, and that it is to be done by the use sludge, after running off the supernatant fluid. By this means of the various substances already mentioned, in suitable a very considerable improvement will be effected, and the sludge proportions. The sewage question is at the bottom of all could be directly applied to the land. They propose to con- sanitary improvement. Then there is the commercial quesstruct a line of subterranean reservoirs along the Thames, tion. Now, that must mainly depend on the power of the which would form a line of embankments. As the precipitate deodorizing substance used to withdraw ammonia from the or sludge would only amount to five per cent. of the whole sewage ; and Professor Way has shown that when liquids consewage, the difficulty of dealing with it would be much dimin- taining ammonia are filtered through six inches of earth con. ished. Suitable vessels would carry it to places where it was taining such usual proportion of alumina as all corn lands have, all the ammonia is retained and combined chemically with the required. But while we admit the value of the proposal of the Com- alumina. There cannot, therefore, be an insuperable difficulty mission, we must regard their labours as very incomplete. in accomplishing the great desideratum of the absorption of Why not take a sewer, and experiment on it with more deodo- the ammonia from the sewage by means of suitable deodorizing rizing substances than lime? By the lime process not only are agents. If, after what is known on the subject, Government the rich fluid principles of the sewage lost, but ammonia is does not order a thorough inquiry which will set this matter set free. The great object should be to deodorize by substances, finally at rest, in our opinion it will grossly neglect its duty which in themselves would form a valuable manure, and absorb as regards the public health and the food of the people. the soluble fertilizing principles. Such substances as lime and chalk, marl, sea-weed, sand, the scrapings of roads, soot, ashes, plaster of Paris, burnt or powdered clay or bricks, are of this nature, and it does not seem impolitic to intercept the sewage, without forming the miles of reservoir contemplated by the " Ne quid nimis." Commission, at certain points, by means of filters composed of these substances, which, when saturated, could be removed and THE CLAIMS OF NAVAL ASSISTANT-SURGEONS. used as manure. Common earth is a powerful deodorizing FEw men deserve more highly of the profession than Colonel agent. The line of river terraces contemplated would, doubtless, Boldero. For years this gentleman has been the constant form a fine feature. Those who recall the great advantage and unflinching advocate of the interests of the assistant444

Medical Annotations