Sanitary Engineering A Practical Manual of Town Drainage and Sewage and Refuse Disposal

Abstract

SANITARY engineering is a comprehensive and difficult science, yet the author states in his preface that he himself “felt the want of a work which would in one small volume deal with the science in a comprehensive, concise and easily intelligible form.” It is fair to infer from this statement that he considers the want has been met by the compilation of the present work. Yet in his introductory remarks (chapter i.) he adds that the student “will know only a small part of this vast subject when he has read and learned the contents of the present volume.” We concur with the writer in the latter statement. The work contains a great deal of information upon sanitary engineering which will be useful to municipal engineers and students, medical officers of health, sanitary inspectors and members of local authorities; but the subject is of course not dealt with comprehensively. The general correctness of the statements and views expressed leave little to be desired, but while in a scientific text-book there is no occasion to be hypercritical on the subject of literary style, there are so many instances in this work where the meaning is obscured or the sense is lost by the slovenly construction of sentences that the pleasure and satisfaction of perusing it are somewhat marred. To give one or two instances:—

Sanitary Engineering. A Practical Manual of Town Drainage and Sewage and Refuse Disposal.

By Francis Wood With numerous illustrations. Pp. xi + 304. (London: Charles Griffin and Co., Ltd., 1902.) Price 8s. 6d. net.