CHAPTER III
SITUATION OF THE HOUSE AND CARE OF THE CELLAR
HE location and surroundings of the house are of
the first importance from a sanitary standpoint. Folding doors and carved mantelpieces are attractive to the house hunter; but the satisfaction they give may be more than offset by the disagreeable or harmful effects of a neighboring marsh, a wet, dark cellar, a lack of sunshine, or by unpleasant surroundings, such as factories and smoking chimneys. As W. P. Gerhard well says: “Tt must be constantly borne in mind that, while defec- tive construction may generally be remedied, unhealthy surroundings, an undesirable aspect, or insalubrious building site cannot be changed.”
Tf, then, a house ready built is to be rented or bought, it is not sufficient that the style of architecture and the social aspect of the locality be considered. The seeker for a house which is to be not only a beautiful but a healthful home must carefully consider the far more important points of character of soil, age of house, honesty of construction, style of plumbing and of heat- ing apparatus, and the possibilities of sunlight and air.
Until there is opened in every city and town an office from which trained inspectors can be obtained—men or women who understand what living in a house means and what dangers come in the using of apparatus which
13
14 HOUSE SANITATION
while new and untried seems to be correct in principle— until then the house hunter must herself understand the cardinal points of safety.
The chief essentials to be secured are pure air, sun- light, and dryness. These are conditions upon which physical and mental vigor largely depend. Without them the human system loses its power of resistance to disease. Rheumatism and consumption are diseases which seem to be peculiarly prevalent in their absence, and many forms of organic life, known familiarly to us in the form of decay and mold, thrive only in dampness and darkness. An ample supply of pure or clean water is also essential.
Clean soil is the primary factor in making possible clean air and clean water. As sanitary views have changed greatly in relation to the hygienic significance of the soil, a few general principles should be clearly understood, especially as they tend to do away with a great many of the disturbing ideas which used to be held in regard to the ground. Health was supposed to be con- stantly menaced by ground air and ground water, but it is now known that neither air nor water can cause disease simply because it is in the ground.
We usually think of air as only above ground, not as moving about in it, and seldom realize how great the amount of ground air is until we try the simple experi- ment of pouring water into a potful of dry earth, and notice how much water the earth will absorb in the space before occupied by air. This air is, of course, originally the same as atmospheric air. When it gets into the ground it usually undergoes some changes due to vegeta- tion. The amount of carbon dioxide and of water in-
SITUATION OF THE HOUSE 15
creases and of oxygen decreases wherever there is decay of vegetable matter. These changes were ‘formerly thought to make the air very unwholesome, but it is now known that ground air changed only in this way and to the extent which takes place in the ground is quite harm- less. Other things, however, may go on in the ground which will bring about undesirable changes. Defective drains and decaying animal matter may produce offensive gases which will mix with the ground air, but even then the changes are not thought to be sufficient in amount or harmful enough in kind to lead to disease. If, how- ever, there are gas pipes in the ground which leak, it is another matter, for one of the components of illuminating gas produces very serious and even fatal consequences if breathed, and should on no account be allowed to get into the house. It is also true that there are no gaseous exhalations from marshes which cause disease. A spe- cial kind of mosquito which may infest such places and is quite as likely to be found breeding in any little puddle, and which flies about especially at night, is now known to be the cause of the trouble which has given such a bad name to ground air and to night air. It will be readily
- seen that in deciding upon measures intended to keep ground air out of the house, the housekeeper needs to know whether it is likely to be polluted in any dangerous way.
Materials ordinarily used for the construction of cellar walls are more pervious to moisture and air than is generally supposed. Dry brick, for example, is so porous that it can take up about twenty-five per cent of its weight of water, and even the finest grained stones absorb some
16 HOUSE SANITATION
moisture and allow air to pass through them. If, then, the expense involved in making cellar walls and floor quite impervious to air simply results in keeping out some- thing which is harmless, it is a waste of money which should go to meet real needs. On the other hand, if there is certainty or even probability that the ground air may be polluted, it should be kept out at any cost. This is an illustration of the many ways in which the house- keeper should be guided by exact knowledge rather than by any rule of thumb.
Similar statements may be made in regard to ground water. Fifty years ago a distinguished physician of Massachusetts announced the law of soil moisture, to the effect that residence on a damp soil is a primal cause of consumption, which can be checked or prevented by atten- tion to this fact. This was before the discovery of the germ which causes this disease and without which no amount of moisture can cause it. The belief now is that the relation between them is probably quite indirect and due merely to the fact that dampness depresses vitality.— Tt is certainly true that a great many effects formerly attributed to moisture are due to other causes. It is also true that until the matter is less obscure than it is at present, the safe course is to avoid excessive moisture in the soil, such as is likely to exist where the level of the ground water is high and the soil of such a character that surface water does not drain from it easily and quickly.
Still another charge against the ground has been dis- proved. It was formerly thought to be crowded with disease germs. The truth is that there is only one patho-
SITUATION OF THE HOUSE 17
genic or disease-producing form harmful to human beings whose normal habitat is the ground, and that is the germ which causes tetanus or lockjaw. If other disease germs gain access to the ground, they quickly perish. They lack the proper food, the temperature is unfavorable, and there are present many other kinds of germs which are inimical to them. Such germs as those of typhoid fever may be washed into the ground and pollute water sup- plies, but they do not survive long and cannot be drawn up into the air, as the currents are not strong enough. Just as in the case of gaseous impurities, the housekeeper needs to know whether there is the possibility of disease germs getting into the ground near her house and then should act accordingly.
The emanations from fresh, upturned earth cause alarm to a great many people and are popularly supposed to produce disease. Investigations which have been made where sewer construction has been followed by malaria or typhoid fever prove that these diseases have been im- ported by laborers who harbored the parasite or the germ of the disease, and have not been due to the upturned soil.
These considerations show that it is not harmful for people to live on clean ground or even below the sur- face, as in basements, if they have proper conditions and maintain right standards of cleanliness. It is considered very healthful to sleep close to the ground in camps, and when people live on boats they often sleep below the level of the water without harm from that cause.
In any settled community it is almost impossible to know the actual condition of the ground on which the
18 HOUSE SANITATION
house is. Accordingly, it is always a safe procedure to avoid dampness, darkness, and dust catchers in the house, and as much sunlight, as dry a soil, as free circulation of air as possible, and as much opportunity for a generous use of soap and water without injury to anything are to be desired.
The following directions will help the housekeeper in determining what points to observe:
Look to the condition of street, yard, rain gutters, cellar walls, cellar floor, and dark closets, if any.
Note if there is any appearance of mold—the odor will usually betray it; of leaks in walls or roof.
Note the sun plan; that is, the hours in the day during which the sun can shine into each room both winter and summer, remembering that sunlight is a great help in maintaining healthful conditions.
Note relation of windows to the prevailing direction of the wind. , .
Note character of interior construction and finish with reference to holding dust.
Examine the drainage plan from attic to cellar. Never move into a house the drainage pipes of which are so built in that they cannot be readily seen. Note the traps, the slope of the main pipes, etc.
Secure a written statement from the city inspector ; if possible, be present when the inspection is made.
Every housewife should know the “sewer odor is as characteristic as that of onions, and its presence shows that the sewers are not carrying off waste matters as quickly and completely as they should.
Examine the heating apparatus; note if the cold-
SITUATION OF THE HOUSE 19
air box, etc., answers to the requirements given in