Part 10 (1/2)

But they reckoned hardly sufficiently on the fact that when Jenkin took a thing of this kind in hand it must _be_; if it lay within the scope of a clear head and boundless energy

Having secured a nucleus of ishers, the next step was to enlist the syht to effect this by a series of public lectures The first of these (one of tas given on 22nd January under the auspices of the Edinburgh Philosophical Institution It was apparent to the shrewd lecturer that in bringing before the people a scheme like this, where there was much that was novel, it was necessary first of all that his audience should be aware of the evils to which they were exposed in their own houses, before unfolding a plan for a re been carried on in the summer of the previous year had sho crude were the ideas of many persons well informed, or considered to be so, on this subject For example, there are fe-a-days who are not aware that a drain, to be safe, s to the upper air, or that it oes But at the time spoken of there were soue against it; calling forth this forcible reply-'Here is a pretty farce You pour out a poison and send it off on its way to the sea, and forget that on its way there its very essence will take wings and fly back into your house up the very pipes it but recently ran down' A properly 'trapped' and ventilated drain was the cure for this

And the lecturer proceeded to show that in Edinburgh, where for the ood and solid, but, as in other towns, the bulk of the houses were built when the arrangee and water supply were very little understood, many serious errors were made 'But,' the lecturer went on to say, 'Sanitary Science was now established on a fairly sound basis, and the germ theory, or theory of septic ferments, had explained much which used to be obscure This theory explained hoas that faht in certain cases live with fair health for reat filth, while the dwellers in large and apparently clean mansions were struck down by fever and diphtheria The filth which was found compatible with health was always isolated filth, and until the germs of some specific disease were introduced, this dirt was merely injurious, not poisonous The mansions which were apparently clean and yet fever-visited were found to be those in which arrangements had been eerms from one house to another, fro suckers extended froh these suckers, commonly called ”house drains,” they imbibed every taint which any one house in the systeements were too often as or water was laid on He had known an intelligent person declare that no harm could come up a certain pipe which ended in a bed-roo offensive went down That person had never realised the fact that his pipe joined another pipe, which again joined a sehich again whenever there was an epideer erht any day come up'

Professor Jenkin then proceeded to sho a house ht be absolutely cut off from all contae diagrams he showed the several systems of pipes within a house

One system coloured _red_ showed the pipes that received foul matter A system marked in _blue_ showed pipes used to ventilate this red system

The essential conditions of safety in the internal fittings of a house-it was inculcated-were that no air to be breathed, no water to be drunk, should ever be contaminated by connection with _red_ or _blue_ systems

Then in _yelloere shown the pipes which received dirty water, which was not necessarily foul Lastly a _white_ system, which under no circumstances must ever touch the 'red,' 'blue,' or 'yellow' systeras which illustrate the system of arteries and veins in the huentleman remarked, in perplexity, that he had not room in his house for such a mass of pipes; but they were already there, with other pipes besides, all carefully hidden away, as in the human tenement, with the inevitable result-as the preacher of cleanliness and health declared-'out of sight, out of e were demonstrated the ills this product of modern life is heir to; and the drastic measures that most of them demand to secure the reputation of a healthy house Lastly the formation of an association to carry out the idea (already sketched) cheaply, was briefly introduced

Next , January 23rd, was the moment chosen to lay the scheh newspapers, along with lengthy reports of the lecture, appeared, in form of an advertisement, a statement {295} of the sche array of 'Provisional Council' In due course several of the Scots newspapers and others, such as the _Building News_, gave leading articles, all of the experih,' 'what proanised, and an example set that may be worthy of imitation elsewhere,' and so on

Several of the writers waxed eloquent on the singular ingenuity of the scheme; the cheap professional advice to its adherents, &c; and the rare advantages to be gained by means of co-operation and the traditional 'one pound one'

The Provisional Council was absolutely representative of the community, and included names more than sufficient to inspire confidence It included the Lord-Lieutenant of the county, Lord Rosebery; the Lord Justice Clerk, Lord Moncrieff; the Lord Advocate; Sir Robert Christison; several of the Judges of the Court of Session; the Presidents of the Colleges of Physicians, and of Surgeons; many of the Professors of the University; the Bishop of Edinburgh, and the Dean; several of the best known of the Clergy of the Church of Scotland, Established, Free, and of other branches; one or two members of Parliament; more than one lady (who should have been perhaps e views and public spirit; several well-known country gentleineers and architects; and ence and business qualities

Very soon after the second of the proan to be numbered by hundreds By the 28th of February, 500 subscribers having been enrolled, they were in a position to hold their first regularunder the presidency of Sir Robert Christison, when a permanent Council composed of many of those who had from the first shown an interest in the an and Lord Dean of Guild (now Sir Ja the duties of Consulting Engineer-were appointed And Jenkin was singularly fortunate in securing as Secretary the late Captain Charles Douglas, a worker as earnest as hiinator that the Council, co knowledge, should 'give a guarantee to the members that the officials employed should have been carefully selected, and themselves work under supervision Every householder in this town,' he adds, 'knows the na our Council'

The new association was a success alike in town and country Without going far into statistics it will be evident what scope there was, and is, for such operations when it is stated that last year (1885) 60 per cent of the houses inspected in London and its neighbourhood were found to have foul air escaping direct into them, and 81 per cent had their sanitary appliances in an unsatisfactory state Here in Edinburgh things were little, if any, better; as for the country houses, the descriptions of so As the new association continued its operations it becaineer to note such objections, hypothetical or real, as were raised against the working of his scheh: but all were replied to in order, and satisfactorily resolved It was shown, for exaht have a dinner party in your house on the day of your inspection'; that the association worked in the utmost harmony with the city authorities, and with the tradesmen usually employed in such business; and that the officials were as 'confidential' as regards the infirmities of a house as any physician consulted by a patient The strength of the engineering staff has been varied fro eh and country districts in various parts of Scotland for five engineers teed

The position Jenkin claih: thus he well defined it:-

'In respect of Doineer and that of the ineer to learn from the doctor what conditions are necessary to secure health, the engineer e of assisting in the warfare against disease by using his professional skill to deterements are best adapted to secure these conditions' {299}

Flattery in the form of imitation followed in due course A branch was established at St Andrews, and one of the earliest of similar institutions was founded at Newport in the United States Another sprang up at Wolverha been set on foot in London And the _Tith, drew attention to the special features of the plan which it was stated had followed close upon a paper read by Professor Flee month of January The adherents included such names as those of Sir William Gull, Professor Huxley, Professor Burdon Sanderson, and Sir Joseph Fayrer The _Saturday Review_, in January, had already in a characteristic article enforced the principles of the scheme, and sho, for a small annual payment, 'the helpless and hopeless condition of the householder at the ed

The London association, established on the lines of the parent society, has been followed by st these are Bradford, Cheltenhahton, and Newcastle in 1883; Bath, Cae, Cardiff, Dublin, and Dundee in 1884; and Swansea in 1885; and while rite the first steps are being taken, with help froh, to establish an association at Montreal; sixteen associations

Alraphy has been achieved for Flee Jenkin's movement

In 1878 was published _Healthy Houses_ (Edin, David Douglas), being the substance of the two lectures already h with the intention of laying open the idea of the scheme then in conteical Society This book has been long out of print, and such has been the demand for it that the American edition {300} is understood to be also out of print, and unobtainable