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Raw sewage was commonly dumped into any available body of water. Which was why he recommended avoiding ponds at all costs.

This sort of thing was why every large homeowner brewed their own beer - the alcohol from the fermentation neutralized some? enough? who cares, drink more? of the pathogens. Reading books from the Victorian (and earlier) eras gives me the impression that everyone back then was suffering from chronic, low level infections their entire lives.




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