Discliiirgc of crude doincstic sewiige iind wnstes of viirious kiiids into rivers i i i i d strcnins lins long bccii prnctised ns nii cnsy incthod of rcinoviiig filth froin iiilinhitctl nrciis niid of carrying it rimy t o tlic sen. For csnmplc, tlicrc is cvidcncc iiidicntiiig that the niiciciit Egyptiiiiis, Biihyloiiiiins, Assyriniis, iiiid I'hcciiiciniis used tlicir systciiis of cniiiils for tlic tlisposnl of scwugc. Oiic of tlic first iiuthciiticiit8cd instiiiiccs of n dcfiiiitc sclicnic of scwcrngc nppcnrs to Lave bccii tlic coiistructioii in lioiiic, nborit GOO I I . ~. , ofn liirgc coiiduit, wit,li siihidiiiry coiiiicsioiis to viirious parts of tlic city. This coiitliiit ciirricd tlic scwnga iiito t.lic River l'ibcr, wliicli n t tlint tiinc ivns used as ii source of wiitcr supply. 111 coiiscquciicc, tlic Tiller so011 bcc:iiiic seriously polliitctl illid unfit for iloiiicstic iisc ; for this rcnsoii iiqiictluct,s wcrc Iiitcr coiist,riict,ccl to coiivcy piircr wiitcrs froiii soiirccs soiiic tlistiilicc from tlic city. It thus sccins tliiit tlic Roinnns rccogriizctl tlic iinport,iiiicc of iiiiiplc siipplics of 1111polliitctl wntcr for gcncriil use, iiltliougli t h y pcriiiittctl polliit,ioii of tlir 'I'ihcr. Tlic L'crsiniis iippiirciitly took inorc pridc iii ninintniiiiiig clciiii rivers tliiiii did tlic Roniiiiis or thiin IW (lo today, for iiccordiiig t mo stiitciiielit hy Hcroilottis (I. 138) to wliicli tlic iiiitlior's iittciit,ioii hiis 1)ccii driiwii by Sir Robert Rolwrtsoii, t h y rcvcrciicctl tlicir rivers niid did not nllow iiiiy foriii of pollutioii.
From RoiiiiiIi times until t,lic iiiiictcciitli cciitiiry, little progrcss scciiis t o Iiavc bccii iniitlc in schciiics of sc\rcrtigc iiiid sc~vrigc tlisposiil. Althoiigli the first Act providiiig for ii Coiiiiiiissioii of Scwcrs .in Loiidoii \YiiS piisscd as ciirly ns 1531, tlic works ciirrictl oiit wcrc of n iiiore or less iinpcrfcct chiiriictcr siicli :IH tlic britlgiiig over in 1637 of tlic River Flcet, which so long bcforc 11s 1307 hiid Iwonic inocccssible to sliippiiig owing to iicciiinulatioii of filth. Sciivciigcrs were ciiiployed iiiid scwiigc sviis rcccivcd into pits to bc triinsl'crred to cliiiiincls i i i tlic strccts. Tlicsc cliiiriiicls driiiiicd into old tril)ut.iirics of tlic l!linnics, wliicli scrvctl 11s iiiiiiii sewers ; but cvcii tis liitc :is 1847 tlicre were thousniitls of houses in lJoiid0ii without iitlcc.liiiitc tlriiiiiiigc iiiitl tlic inliiibitiiiits livctl uiidcr iiiost iiisiiriit,nry coiitlitioiis. I t is iiot surprising, t.licrcforc, that tlicre wcrc frcqiiciit cpitlciiiics of sueti tliscycs as cliolcrii iiiitl typlioitl.
Serious tlctcriorirtioii in tlic eoiitlitioii of tlie rivers iiiitl strciiiiis .in vtirioiis piirts of this couiitry hcgiin with t h dcvclopiiiciit of iiiotlcrii iiitliistry tliiriiig tlic * 1 ss CHEMISTRY AND INDUSTRY Mnr. 0, In31 rivers flowing through industrinl nrcns. In thc last