Timelines: 1882
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Microbial purification of sewage
Science for public health
English chemist Robert Warrington is among the first to apply principles of modern microbiology to problems of pollution and public health in large cities. In 1882, he writes: “sewage contains the organisms for its own destruction, and these may be so cultivated as to effect the purpose.” For the land treatment of sewage, he proposes inoculation of wastes with nitrifying bacteria, and the construction of aerating filter beds more porous than ordinary soil.
London cesspool
England's struggle against disease
Land treatment of sewage