This graph shows how improvements in sewage treatment improved public health in Christchurch. Before the installation of a sewerage system, the city council abolished cesspits and switched to nightsoil collection, which removed human waste from housing areas. This had an immediate impact on death rates from infectious diseases associated with human waste, such as typhoid. The completion of a sewerage system in the city in 1882 hastened the decline of these diseases.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Source: Geoffrey Rice, 'Public health in Christchurch, 1875–1910: mortality and sanitation.' In A healthy country: essays on the social history of medicine in New Zealand, edited by Linda Bryder. Wellington: Bridget Williams, 1991, p. 96.
This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.