ON THE LAVATORIES OF RURAL AREA

Abstract

In order to elucidate the conditions of lavatories in farm-houses, the authors studied their structure and location in the houses in the three farm-villages situated in three different districts: Saitama Prefecture, Tokyo-to and Miyagi Prefecture.Findings obtained are as follows:
1. They are all of them primitive, non-water-closet system. In all of the three villages, they are mostly placed in the out-houses.
2. Lavatories within the main buildings usually have only one night-soil pit. Out-house lavatories are not identical in all the three districts. In the village in Saitama Prefecture, they prefer the type which has a reservoir attached to the pit.On the other hand, in Tokyo and in Miyagi areas majority of them are of the single pit type. But, they often have a soil-tank in the field, which serves the place of the additional reservoir.
3. Soil holding capacity of the lavatories is very small in either of the three villages studied. But there is no direct relationship between the soil holding capacity and parasitic infection.
4. On the basis of these findings, the authors made a tentative suggestion for the improvement of lavatories in rural districts and, at the same time gave a personal view on the measure for night-soil disposal for rural areas in relation to the one for their neighboring towns.