Observations on foul water irrigation : founded on a personal survey of different districts of the city, and an examination of their comparative salubrity, being a reply to certain statements made at a meeting of the Town-Council on the 2d April, 1839 / by William Tait.

Date:
1839
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Observations on foul water irrigation : founded on a personal survey of different districts of the city, and an examination of their comparative salubrity, being a reply to certain statements made at a meeting of the Town-Council on the 2d April, 1839 / by William Tait. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    OBSKllVATIONS, &c. The subject of Foul Water Irrigation lias of late attracted mucli atten- tion, and excited no inconsiderable alarm in the minds of the inhabitants of this city. The evils, however, arising from this source, seem to us to have been greatly exaggerated, and hence we have deemed it not impro- per, however unpopular the attempt may be, to lay before the public a few plain statements of facts acquired by a personal visitation of the dif- ferent districts situated to the east and west of the city where Irrigation is carried on to its greatest extent. At the same time, we will take an opportunity of comparing the general health of the inhabitants of these districts with that of^those dwelling in other parts of the town; and es- pecially with the health of those situated at the greatest distance from the irrigated lands. These statements, however, are not submitted for the purpose of vindicating or supporting the claims of the proprietors of these lands, or of reprobating the present attempt of the authorities to put a stop to the present system of irrigation. Our sole aim at present is, to elicit truth, and thereby endeavour to allay all that unnecessary apprehension on the part of the public, which the recent discussions may have created. The line of argument pursued by those gentlemen who have expressed themselves against the salubrity of these artibcial marshes, is, at first sight, we admit, very plausible and satisfactory; but, on a more careful exami- nation, we discover that very few facts have been adduced in support of their position. It is argued, that because fever has prevailed to a much greater extent during the last year than it had done for the seven years preceding it, and as irrigated lands existed to the extent of several hun- dred acres around the city, therefore, irrigation is the cause of the in- crease of fever and disease ; and that, before the latter can be remedied and prevented, the former must be removed. In support of the first proposition, the statistics of the fever cases admitted into the Royal In- firmary for the last eight years are given, which show a difference in favour of 1838 to the amount of 1017 cases, which is certainly an alarming increase. But when it is observed that the whole increase has taken place in one year, that none of the remaining six years amounted to that of 1831, and that there has not been a regular increase of fever corresponding with the increase of irrigation, and, more especially, as those inhabitants situated in the neighbourhood of these irrigated lands, have apparently not been more subject to disease than formerly, we are led to look elsewhere for the true cause of the malady. The difference of epidemics fully accounts fora greater number of cases one year than ano-