SCIENCE 01 – Sanitation

SCIENCE & TECHONOLOGY 01 - SANITATION

The Bible & Science

  • The Bible is no science textbook, that teaches detailed scientific information
  • But the Bible is accurate where it touches science
  • The Bible lays foundations for science … see Unit SCI 03
  • What topics are found in the Bible that fall under science?
    • Hygiene, Health Care, Nutrition, Geography, History, Agriculture, Climatology, …

Deuteronomy 23:12-14

“You shall have a designated area outside the camp to which you shall go. 13 With your utensils you shall have a trowel; when you relieve yourself outside, you shall dig a hole with it and then cover up your excrement. 14 Because the LORD your God travels along with your camp, to save you and to hand over your enemies to you, therefore your camp must be holy, so that he may not see anything indecent among you and turn away from you.”

What is commanded?

  • Outside the camp
  • Designated, known, labeled place
  • Bring along a trowel to dig a hole
  • Cover your excrement with earth

Why this command?

  • To prevent smell
  • To maintain a save environment
  • To not leave behind environmental problems for others
  • To not ‘lose the presence of God’
  • To keep the camp holy (connection between practical & godly things)

Why this command? Main reason?

  • To cut germ transmission > to prevent disease
  • Whether fecal-oral transmission … excrement > feet > hand > mouth
  • Or water-based transmission … excrement > water > drinking / washing > mouth

What kinds of diseases would this prevent?

  • Diarrhea – long the world’s leading cause of death in children under five
  • Bacteria (Cholera, Bacterial Dysentery, Shigella), Virus (Rotavirus), Amoeba (Amoebic dysentery)
  • All worms (Roundworm, Hookworm, Whip worm, Tapeworm, Strongyloides …)
  • Typhoid (Salmonella typhi)
  • Hepatitis A (partially)
  • Polio (partially)
    Imagine if all these disease were absent from Bangladesh! This is a small and simple measure but it would have much effect!

Current sanitation methods in Bangladesh

  • “Jekhane shekhane paykhana” … worst, not outside camp, not designated, no hole, not covered
  • Drain … designated, no hole, water & animal access, not covered
  • Hanging toilets … designated area, but no hole, not covered > water, flies, …
  • Pit latrine … better since designated area & hole, but not covered > flies have access
  • Ventilation improved pit latrine … very good, flies are prevented from exiting
  • Flush toilets … faeces into water, not earth > only okay if water into septic tank
  • Earth-based versus water-based solutions?

Importance of Sanitation

  • Is this topic important? Why? Back then? Today?
  • Example: Europe’s child mortality rate (roughly)
  • Sanitation in a country is directly linked to child mortality.
  • First antibiotic Penicillin: available 1941-43 … can’t have made the difference
  • Switzerland built their first sewage water treatment plant in the 1930s.
  • Sewage treatment or sanitation is one of the pillars of public health

Four Pillars of Public Health

  1. Nutrition
  2. Safe Drinking Water
  3. Sanitation & Waste management
  4. Hygiene
  • If these four areas are improved, around 90% of all diseases will disappear
  • Only around 10% of health problems require a higher level of intervention
  • This is good news: With very simple, low-tech & cheap measures much can be achieved! You don’t need to be a doctor, build a hospital nor have a huge budget

Questions of Spirituality

  • How does God view public health engineering? … ‘unspiritual’? or ‘worldly’? or ‘unimportant’? … This is his concern! His will! His work!
  • How does God motivate for it? De 23:14 … He wants to be present among us
  • How do you know God is present? powerful worship? Anointed preaching? … God says he’ll stay with us if our toilets are clean!
  • How does a toilet look after you have used it?
  • Do you think this is unimportant? Do you think this is unspiritual? Don’t be more spiritual than God! If he thinks this important, so should you.
  • We pray “Lord, save me from Diarrhea!” … and God says: “Wash your hands!”
  • We want miracles … God wants to teach us cause & effect, wisdom & self-control
  • Miracles are not covering for our laziness … Miracles are to depend on God for what we can’t do

Obedience versus Understanding

When did humans discover germs and their role in disease transmission? > less than 200 years ago

  • Did the Israelites know about germs? Did God tell them about germs? … No
  • Would they be healthier by obeying this law even if they didn’t know the reasons for the law? … Yes
  • The law works whether you understand it or not: cause & effect in a real world
  • So I don’t need to understand, just blindly obey God’s law? … Yes and No.
  • Yes…in the sense that obedience brings blessing, whether you understand or not
  • No…in the sense that God wants us to understand so that you obey better
    What are the dangers in “blind obedience only”?
  • I might resent the God who commands it
  • I will be tempted to not obey
  • I will not have much to teach the next generation

Further discoveries

If we had read this law 200 years ago we could not have given one explanation why God commanded this. Now we know give many scientific or medical reasons.

What should we conclude about laws we don’t understand?

  • I need to have respect for God’s word, whether or not I understand it
  • at the same time I need to seek to understand better
  • Maybe another 50 years from now we will be able to explain why this law is good
SCIENCE & TECHONOLOGY