This is a
subject almost overlooked by the public, and it is therefore as well that
it should be known that when ground water has a level persistently less
than five feet from the surface of the soil, the locality is usually
unhealthy, and should not, if possible, be selected for a residence.
Fluctuations in the level of ground water, especially if great and sudden,
generally cause ill-health among the residents. Thus, Dr. Buchanan in his
reports to the Privy Council in 1866-1867, showed that consumption (using
the word in its most extended sense) is more prevalent in damp than on dry
soils, and numerous reports of medical officers of health, and others,
which have been published since then, show that an effective drainage of
the land, and consequent carrying away of the ground water, has been
followed by a diminution of these diseases.
Varying amounts of moisture in the air materially affect the health and
comfort of man. In this country, however, it is not only the absolute but
the relative proportions of aerial moisture which materially influence
mankind. The quantity of aqueous vapor that a cubic foot of air can hold
in suspension, when it is saturated, varies very much with the
temperature. Thus at 40 degrees Fahr. it will hold 2.
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