CHAPTER IX.-TYPICAL DRAINAGE PLANS ... CHAPTER X.-WATER SUPPLY AND POLLUTION 97 III 121 ... "Throw physic to the dogs, I'll none of it." -Macbeth, V., 3. What a man finds good of and what he finds hurt of is the best physic to preserve health.”— Bacon. “ What avail the largest gifts of Heaven, "When drooping health and spirits go amiss? 66 “Health is the vital principle of bliss.” -Thomson. ARCHITECTURAL HYGIENE; OR, Sanitary Science as applied to Buildings. INTRODUCTION. THE hygiene of architecture, it need scarcely be said, is one of the most important subjects which the architectural student has to study, for on its proper application in the buildings erected under his supervision depends not only the health and well-being of his clients, but often their very existence. It is not too much to say that a building placed on a well-selected site, properly drained and executed with regard to its planning, and fitted up in accordance with the latest sanitary knowledge, reduces the need for medicine to a minimum. In no other service is the intimate connection of cause and effect so painfully apparent; a badly constructed system of drainage is a fruitful cause of typhus, typhoid, and other diseases. It affects the health of the inmates in every particular. In the present work an attempt has been made to tabulate and co-ordinate the knowledge which exists of this most important of all sciences. The subject is presented in a simple way, while an endeavour is made to include much that an architect should know. The literature on the subject is still in a somewhat chaotic state. There are ponderous tomes on particular branches, which are quite beyond the province of the practitioner, and there is no one treatise which contains all the knowledge essential for practical use. B The subject is for convenience of reference divided into the following chapters- Chapter I. Sanitary Legislation.-Many Acts of Parliament contain clauses which refer to sanitation, and an endless array of authorities exist whose by-laws have to be followed. The more important of these provisions and the principal regulations referring to sanitation are stated here. Chapter II. The Site and Foundations. - The sites of buildings and proper provision for draining are then taken a most important subject, and one which is often neglected. Chapter III. The Plan in Regard to Health and Convenience. The position of the various rooms is considered in connection with the use and purpose for which each is required, both as regards aspect and position. Chapter IV. Sanitary Construction.-The various materials, their special points and value, and their effective use in roofs, floors, and walls are dealt with in this section. Special reference is made to the various methods in use in ordinary practice for excluding damp from walls. Chapter V. House Drainage. House Drainage. House drainage includes the laying of underground drains, the use of gullies, the comparative value of earthenware and iron pipes, and special points to be observed in the laying of drains so as to prevent them from becoming blocked. The inspection of drains by manholes is also described and illustrated. Chapter VI. Drain Ventilation, &c.-The important subject of drain ventilation and the prevention of siphonage in various forms of traps is dealt with. Chapter VII. Sanitary Fittings.-A chapter on sanitary fittings and traps which illustrates the different forms of closets and their traps, lavatories and their wastes, grease traps, baths, and water-waste preventers, &c., and the general use of all these fittings. Chapter VIII. Collection and Disposal of Refuse and Sewage. Having thus planned the system of drainage we have to consider the important question of the disposal of sewage, including refuse collection, and to compare conservancy systems and water-carried systems, and the treatment of sewage. Chapter IX. Typical Drainage Plans.-Practical drainage plans for different types of buildings are given to show the generally accepted methods of carrying the sewage and waste waters of the house. Chapter X. Water Supply and Pollution.-The important question of water supply and its pollution is considered, the effect of rainfall on a district and the advantages of a constant and intermittent supply. Chapter XI. Water Supply Fittings, &c.-Connections to mains are discussed, and various fittings and taps, described. Chapter XII. Ventilation.-This includes an analysis of the composition of air, the movement of air currents, the quantity of air required per person, and the impurities to be found in air. The best positions for inlets and outlets in natural and artificial ventilation systems are indicated. Chapter XIII. Heating.-Under the section of Heating the comparative advantages of the high and low pressure hot water systems, and of steam are discussed, and the general arrangement and form of heating apparatus. The subjects of ventilation, heating, and lighting are, of course, closely connected, and should be considered together. Chapter XIV. Ventilation and Heating Schemes.Calculations for heating and ventilating various types of buildings are given, from the labourer's cottage to the crowded meeting hall. Chapter XV. Lighting is treated in conjunction with ventilation, but in this section the various kinds of illuminants are dealt with from a hygienic point of view. Chapter XVI. Sanitary Inspection. This chapter is devoted to sanitary surveys and reports, a subject well within the ordinary practitioner's domain, and one by means of which the young architect may often tide over the early struggles of a professional career with profit to himself and friends. Chapter XVII. Surveys and Reports.-Model surveys and reports are given of different types of houses. |