Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 9.djvu/862

 828 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

the sake of obtaining insurance ; the analysis of drinking-water, to guard against impurities therein ; the analysis of sewage for the sake of determining the proper disposal thereof; as well as the analysis of river water at various points above and below a city, as made at Coin, for example, to discover the degree of pollution of the river by sewage and the power of the flowing stream to purify itself; further, the examination of the quality of various objects bought for municipal use, such as building materials, asphalt, paints, and lubricants, among others; moreover, free physiological examinations for doctors who suspect cases of severe or contagious diseases, as well as regular service for the hospitals; the study and preparation of disinfectants, and inspec- tion of the disinfecting establishments ; the experimental study of the amount of dust in schoolrooms as influenced by weather, ventilation, kind of flooring, method of cleaning, and of the effect of "dustless oil" for oiling the floors.

Municipal abattoirs. Cattle markets and slaughter-houses were exhibited by thirty municipalities. Concentration and municipalization of stock-yards and slaughter-houses are held to give control and better facilities for inspection. The live-stock markets are, in some cities, operated by the municipality, and in others, under municipal concession. In either case there is gen- eral oversight on the part of the municipality and inspection of the animals by municipal officials. The slaughtering of the cattle is, likewise, either undertaken by the municipality for a compensation, or performed by individual butchers who pay a rent for the use of the slaughter-house, including light, heat, hot water, etc. There is inspection by municipal officials of the slaughtering process and of the dressed meat. The slaughter- houses are usually large open halls, though some as in Berlin, for example are divided into separate rooms for the use of individual butchers. The latter plan is less acceptable to the authorities than to the butchers, for the inspection of the work cannot be so readily nor so carefully made.

Municipal markets. Vegetable and provision markets, more or less under municipal direction or control, are a direct inherit- ance from the past. The market-halls, which most municipali- ties now provide, are the market-places of modern times for both