MYFBS, MAY(R - the Digital Library of Georgia

MAYOR'S ANNUAL REPORT. 203only too anxious to fill up the vaults and remove theunsightly outhouses, and at the same time arrangetheir closets and fixtures in compliance with the lawto obtain the best results from a sanitary standpoint.A very gratifying improvement has been the promptnesswith which the property owners have correcteddefective plumbing when such has been brought totheir attention. While it is not one of the requirementsunder the law for this department to inspectplumbing in buildings in which the owners or occupantsbelieve that because of some defect in theplumbing or drainage system foul air is being admitted,such inspections have, at times, been made andthe difficulty pointed out, and it is very gratifying tosee, in many of the houses where unsanitary plumbingpermitted sewer gas, containing disease germs,to find its way into the rooms, that modern improvementsare being daily constructed; in fact, what afew years ago were considered luxuries to be enjoyedby only those possessed of ample means are to-day regardedas necessary to the health of households generally.In my opinion, a great deal of sickness is causedby people not caring for traps under plumbing fixturesduring the summer vacations. Very often afamily, after being away during an entire summer,will come back from the seaside or the mountains,and, without any preliminary airing of the building,move into the house. Later, a case of typhoid feverdevelops, and people are at a loss to account for it;sometimes the outbreak of fever is easily explained.During the absence of the family the water in thetrap has evaporated and the seal is broken, leaving