Annual address delivered before the New-York State Medical Society and members of the legislature : at the Capitol, February 6, 1850 / by Alexander H. Stevens.

  • Stevens, Alexander H. (Alexander Hodgdon), 1789-1869.
Date:
1850
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual address delivered before the New-York State Medical Society and members of the legislature : at the Capitol, February 6, 1850 / by Alexander H. Stevens. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    they are less liable to become obstructed, provided they have a descent of not less than 1 per cent of their length. Now it is proved that whilst house drains of such sizes and construction as have been enforced by the commissioners of sewers, accumulate deposit, drains of a much smaller size keep perfectly clear. Thus whilst a 12 inch drain, which is required by the Kent and Surrey, and the tower hamlets, and the city commissioners, accumulates deposits and generates noxious gases, a tubular earth- ernware drain, of nine times less capacity, or of four inches in diameter, as here represented, or proportional to the house of from three to six inches, keeps perfectly clear. Even three inch drains convey away the refuse from middle-sized houses, and keep per- fectly clear, whilst the larger permeable brick drains, which are usually charged three times the price, are choked up. Mr. Roe, the surveyor of the Holborn and Finsbury district of sewers, who led the way in systematic improvements in the form and construction of main lines of sewers in the metropolis, recently, at our suggestion, made experiments on the rate of flow of water through the common brick drains for houses, as compared with the rate of discharge through earthenware drains of the same capacity, and with the same run of water. The general results which he gives are, that through the earthenware tubes the rates of discharge are increased to an important extent—in the smaller and more fre- quent forms, to the extent of more than a third. In other words, an economy of one-third the quantity to obtain the same result is effected by them, and the general efficiency of the drainage in ordi- nary runs proportionately augmented, as will appear, at a greatly reduced price. The following are examples :—