History of Sanitation

HISTORY OF SANITATION 123 the credit of being the first city in the United States to establish a municipal bath house, supplied with hot and cold water, open all the year round, and maintained at the public expense. The example set by a few cities has not been without effect, and other cities in the United States have followed the lead. It is noticeable, however, that it is only in the Eastern cities that public bath houses are built and main- tained at the city’s expense. According to the “ Report on Public Baths and Comfort Stations,” Buffalo, Boston, Philadelphia, Newark and Trenton each have one public Present Stage in the Evolution of Porcelain Enameled Baths bath house and Chicago has three. Since the publication of that report, however, many cities both in the East and in the West have built public bath houses and many have built, are building, or have planned to build, public comfort stations. Indeed, the standard by which the advancement of cities will be judged in the near future is, “ What have they done for the comfort and welfare of the citizens ? ” And among the visible evidences of what they have done, standing foremost will be the public bath houses, public comfort stations, and last, but not least, public wash houses.