Guide to sanitary inspections / by William Paul Gerhard.

  • William Paul Gerhard
Date:
1909
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Guide to sanitary inspections / by William Paul Gerhard. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    assume that sanitary conclerations have been neglected, that the sanitary work was imperfectly done, even if the building and health regulations have, to all super- ficial appearance, been complied with. It must be remembered, that, even in those cities where building and sanitary regulations are in force, and a large corps of efficient building and sanitary inspectors exercise a supervision of work in new build- ings, it is very difficult to prevent intentional frauds on the part of unscrupulous builders. As regards drain- age and plumbing of buildings, in particular, there always remains a chance for doing defective work, or using improper or poor materials, without necessarily violating any of the official regulations. One cannot live in a house of this kind, even if only completed just before occupation,without having before long serious defects appear, necessitating frequent and expensive repairs. Flues will not draw, being roughly and improperly constructed without smooth lining, and made insufficient in size; fire-places will smoke; the furnace will not heat a house, although a brisk fire turns the iron red-hot; water-pipes and traps will constantly freeze and burst in mid-winter, owing to carelessness of arrangement and to the light weight of the lead pipe used; faucets soon wear out, and drip; gas-flames burn with an unsteady, dim light, owing to the insufficient size of the gas-service pipes; roofs leak, while dampness and mold appear in the cellar and sewer air from abominable pan-closets and dried-up cellar traps will soon fill the house. Living in such a house means having not only the constant annoyance of mechanics trying to repair an originally bad job, but—and this is infinitely more serious—it means frequent calls for the family physician, or continued low state of health of your wife and children. Avoid such houses, by all means.
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