The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-08-18


Ihe Cyoton Warer Qasstsan.
MLSTno OF The ACADEMY OF MsDiogSs-1ATER ON
sAb CONDITION OF TAB oRoVcs-rRs CAUSE AND
THE bhmpY, ETC.
The r,snar monthly meeting Of tSe Ac.aemy OF asdi
cine tocs place las, evening and afer tho Disposal Of t,e
regular srsipeis, upon motion of Or. xcNuy tho asso
cs''en iovaed Or Henry Smith, OF Ctncianas. 10 ,e,i
paper Sbc he hao prepared the aubjscs Of tne pre-
tsLt conc ton Of the Csotoa ws.er.
Dr. SINH soen read the paper, as folio ~s:--
The pubic mno spoears u be 10 ats of soicAi6e
about sne oop Dess OF 'hs wsces and
'oQuirbey 70 tDa pby scn ano the po r,ces "Fl1 dc
D'ispr beg leave sanut loo Academv OF a.di
sooc cops'oe,aoos exoap4tsry TINS osooitioo aod
Which believe cacnIaed TO aiisy the exo,se nsns,on
sosfanoos emooo'ed IN asmpe stateept OF facs oexr
ne On me qutsuops DOW onces.ne'y ssked VI "Noa.
Tho rapss--e on can ~e toe uoolelsAnt elect
how psevept sur q fuiuReY'
ADsys~ o. ,be water so much neeted on, eapa
cav com9s'aive spsyses ~ pntiops taken from OFF
iehp pon's on the route from ia usny
bydrap,s WITH great respsc, for ,be opiuoos Of
woo VII oiper Wild me-, Big leave t. suggest that
boosb matter Of curious n,erest, analysis igslY
70 fbio" mnon lev set the subj CT, nslo
any remeny Dot already sp0~p. me matter must De
'eesfceo pail Ne bsasDsso The ,roatssl po,sloe
Detailing every motrislpg circumstance soosae
saop we are 10 arrive at auy Satisfactory conclusion
wmn LIDO mineral c,Denus OF toe Ofoton wa.er-ano
tnese sre ell that in the present OF kaowe1ae
CID wMp oertainy be discovered wes ned ana meA
suyed ~ sDaysis-we have but lite concern. leave
tosn therefore, out Of view, beng Indifferent the
INQUIRY before us.
Traced TO their sources, most streams ixs tas Orc
ton r,se IN marches. An poruS0Cs ana rank growth
Ut vegetable matter IN the cauGcleg.slc Of sIch IN
calt'es In warm and tempe -ste chmsGss The water
III which they abound, Is commonly colorei OF some
sbaoe OF low or brown and a marked And pc
cunsr tas'e, suggesting r0tton wood, end called thu
morally The Groom rarely free from suco unss. and
10 NJ nfe quantity termed By Prof DrSer, "a atop
variety" Of water. This color is commonly dust, ma
tors Of vegetable origin In sIae Of dscomp,s,:.,n, wooh
co'orsd or black mod siIhuap jr IN ais report 90
Groom and other wsere, IN 1s46 NAKED "a sgut
ud ~" Iemocipg "one Of tne tss,e Of
wA'cY, 20 commonly perceived In the waters Of Lakes"
though NO DOOR was then percepnoe
In al wafer left undsturbsd, after tens there will b.
found vsget bic growths OF the orders, msnly
copte,vs such form scun on ponds Tns viii pc toe
care even IN distilled and uDtra, waters, aud In sou
,ons Of seDica ssts rnese vegetable groStos gill be
more numerous, present varie les. aud bs more
rspoy eevetooed, according TO tho smoon Of orgsntc
matter derived from the SOIL and tho OF tho
roof, DO state OF decay we'll psesence Of
free access Of air. and Temperature neither too
bot nor 100 cod.
Under ordinary circumstances these oourerod plants
injurious 70 ths ssubrty OF the ~atar
40 they affect either rts taste smell o. the
they appropriate organic matter In soluoo and by sop
plying oxygen contribute the support of
nas, which 10 their turn, consume decaSipg oartoIfs
spo that eame hasteps the complete deoonloOso
1T oil oead mater present, whether OF animal vegetable
origin.
The animals themselves mostly microscopic hard and
s0it sheed poyRssrica and become the larger
ones and 20 oD woie their excrem.ptA' osona'ges 10
heir turn pOuTisb the confcrva and other pnts hav
dc composition, the insolube portions are pro
cpit.ied
Upoer ordinary circumstances the balance thus even
~ sepe po~ every DAY seen 10 aqusria The waer re-
limpid arc free from foreign Taste Smell But
uDcommop season OF drought Toe soluble pro.
duc's Of The sDos the drainage OF ~oich at other times
:npphes the b. I'D waters: accumulate IN the soil. a;
Of the water In the marches sod nov more
s'oPaeh streams, and under the influence Of q
summer BuD, o vast and ubusuA imoetas h given
decomposition 10 all localities. Il may be WORTH
cbi'e " ilustra this IL 10 we'll that long
woods plies rerpo entirely under water, decay, al
though rot absolutely prevented, "a reisrdea that
several centuries may espse without It's becoming very
pe'osp.ioe, or p,ocsediue 70 any dsnsg'os extent
sboee palaces are built piers driven into the mad
Of the seoops But II the upper part OF the pile
should not be steadily below tao hoe the
ton expoeeo viii speedily rot. Almos. the whole Sosadl
pavan Peninsula IL steadily rising tue OF the
sea- Al Stockholm the has been Calculated from 90.
evssi6ps made, to be ABOUT feet In century 10
OF this rise, the heals Of piles supposed
81 s y Ssp .S Syss Se
price Of that port
Don In the case Of pies occu's sith certainty
aud With ceer'sy Proportional 70 increased surfa au1
Of deao gass, leaf ano pea sbicb, under saer should
have updt creunec apsls
10 I'll ar BY completion descston. rnus great
store 1t rotteo and partially roseo materials Will
betI lad on the now bouoms OF the shsIo YER
po'one Of tie headwsers Al The the very
poeure o. ttOos bottoms must bave started active
io M Of decomposition 10 portions organic
material previously undergoing bus the slo onause
ppoesstood by g, emecsns,s rne first sufficiently abuo
dsnt Jaiu which follows vii wash down from all toe
sources PANIED The accumulated stores Of psrtsv deco
posed orRaDic matar the "a ibriuu Of aqua
rum 10 then oietusb edihe aier 10 loaded wish ire
eisl than can be disposed Of by nal and vsge
liable COZ somtYs The upper couu,ry-the snpoly
irg sonted and disag able waser is
that which DOW literally srnks In the Lostrls Of the soo1
people Of Gotham.
II does not follow that any marked rjurioas c,nse-
qucnces can be justly traced 10 TINS uuwetspne
oontamir alton. say aavsedy justly traced for daros
period Of popular and pe'heps even medical excite
nent on o subject we are apt to too loosely
too much in the post hoe ergo pr9per hoe style-sud
20 attribute 10 The condi.i'n OF the Crosan water
other OF disorder the time OF yer
and the habs Of the people, The presence of abundant
and lively nusors OF te usual species render exsreme
~ probable that The water Ii not poisonous IN percep
uoie degree. for In that cave those decaiey Organized
creatures should be the first victims.
With regard 10 contamination with animal matter,
Il may be observed that probably At no time 10 the
Croton Innocent Of dead cats, dogs, pigs and other
qusdrupeds, II 1t be Of human remains. Bu. when
the booy Of wRer ID large in proportion, or which
probably amounts TO the same thing, 10 in oonstan,
motion, no taste or odor will be communicated 10 II
In the most remarkable Of aotuu pos ,n
Ing Of water, by the choking Of a we'll with human
during Peninsusr war; the soldiers had long
used the wafer for drinking and culinary purposes with
out remaiking any other peculiarly than mAwkish,
The Sickness Of stomach followed by vomi ing which
has occurred after drinking freely Of the Crotou 10 It's
present condition, especially when taken first thing In
the morning. may possibly be attributed TO ts
taste and SMELL aeted BY some stroog vco1s fore
gone conclusions on the subject In Swo occurring
under my own observation, ,be individuals affected
restored 70 perfect health immediately after vomiting No
nausea debility or symptom Of local irritation coas
tutlopsl affection remained supervened The same
phenomena might have followed visit Of unsccus
toned 10 glue factory tannery the locality where
any other notorousy unsavory sod equally healthy &C.
cupstoD carried on. The same pheuomenA might per
bape have followed tho injeson Of the plrest spr,np
water the individual idosppcrasy had been unfavor
ably modified BY supper Of picked oysters and cham
psene over night
stli, ,he use Of water much loaded With veseto animal
matter has been always considered to occason endemic
disorders digestive apparatus especially d. seutery
and as such dsorer. are said % be most vueni
such wtser habtually made use Of becomes the usn
Of true science 70 suspend final Judgment until moro
facts offered In Argument
In reply 10 the question: "How arc the nauseous
taste and smcl TO DO removea9 there can be bot one
answer conveying any useful Information that can
fulleri earth, lime, Sc, is liable, in ignorant hands,
to produce more rnischef than IL cures. But every
oyir {pto ~