Certainly. Biggest technical and healthcare innovation in the last 200 years was decent sanitation for cities.
Now this is more debatable. Current thinking in disaster relief is that body disposal _isn't_ as urgent as it used to be thought. One badly sited latrine (or lack of) is more damaging to a watercourse than a lot of dead bodies.
I waas going to say all that!
I was giong to ask for evidence of "The source of the disease has been decaying remains in poorly located cemetaries"
In UK at least I'd question that cemeteries were responsible for disease.
Mary
There have been some. There was eveb an infamous Plague Pit somewhere in the Pennines that caused a landslip and buried houses !
One of the few ways of dying worse than the Boston Molasses Flood.
And?
In that case we should ban all cemeteries immediately. I'll vote for whatever party promises to stop soaring death figures by not giving any opportunity for dying.
Mary
People drowned in a festering slurry of half-decomposed bodies. It was more a soil mechanics problem than a bacteriological problem. Peak District, AFAIR.
As a reference to groundwater contamination from cemeteries, I haven't time to look one up. But I recall seasonable problems in both New Orleans and Bermuda (? - somewhere Caribbean) where the cemetery flooded annually and there was an increase in dysenteries, even after the introduction of better sewerage.
Say it a bit louder so Michael Howard can hear it, and he'll get it in the manifesto by Tuesday.
I'm not talking about disaster relief "emergency" cemetaries. I am talking about well established long term cemetaries.
Graham
Ah - so it was some time ago!
er - I said British cemeteries.
What would it take to get Our Glorious Leader (he of the orange face) to do that?
Wish I'd thought to put it to him face to face this lunchtime ...
Mary
>
Well, give us some examples.
Mary
Assessing the Groundwater Pollution Potential of Cemetery Developments National Groundwater & Contaminated Land Center The Environment Agency - UK, 2002
Graham
Not directly relevant - but viruses and bacteria can survive in the body / a grave for a very long time.
There is a company in London that specialises in exhumations. They are often called in to clear grave yards that are several hundred years old in order to make way for a new development. One such development is the channel tunnel rail link in London
A development may destroy hundreds of old graves.
Many of the staff who carry out the exhumations are specifically employed from former soviet block countries where smallpox vaccinations were still common place throughout the 1970s.
Some of the companies involved in exhumations require their staff to be vaccinated against smallpox.
Graham
cemeteries and contaminate nearby water. "
And do chemicals cause disease? This item was about an investigtion, no results.
and peri-urban sectors of *South Africa*, where piped domestic water supplies are not yet available."
That's not the same as "The source of the disease has been decaying remains in poorly located cemetaries"
That's an assessment, not proof or even evidence.
Hear the one about 45minutes ... ?
Mary
There is a gallery in the British Museum that has some on display.
Tamperer/Maya - Feel it. "What's she gonna look like with a chimney on her"
It's getting too close for comfort, I go to a cremation on Monday :-(
Do you know, they charge for car parking if you can't get in with the cortege?
We'll go on the scooter, Dayglo jackets with reflective strips, boots, helms, the lot. Chain it to the chimney.
Mary
"Mary Fisher" wrote in news:426aaf99$0$28622 $ snipped-for-privacy@master.news.zetnet.net:
And car parking is more expensive in London. (This will only make sense with this link.)
Bloody good idea, Mary.
I'm putting a clause in my will that nobody wears a suit to mine.
... and I'll check.
Ooh, can I come? I've never worn a suit to anything ...
Mary
Only the good die young so it's way too early for me to be worrying about such things.
Andrew
our local kwik save does diy coffins. recomend u get ther on a dry day before the cardboard boxes have got wet
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