The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1877-02-24
LETTER FROM DIR. PLumMER
His Views as to the Water we Use

| To the Editors of the Argus:
The code of ethics of the American
| Medical Association is the rule and guide
OF State, County and District medical So
cietes as well as all honorable IL embers of
the profession in this country. Art. l., on
duties of the profession to the public,
says:
81. As good citizens, it is the duty of physicians
To be ever vigant for the welfare of the commun-I
ty and TO bear their part in sustaining its insitu
tons and burdens; they should also be ready
to give counsel to the public in relation to matters
subjects OF medical police pn6tsc hygteRe and legal
medicine.
1t is their province to enughten the public in re-
gard TO medical police Of towns, as drain
age, ventilation, &c. and in regard TO measures for
the prevention of epidemic and contagious dis
cases,
In compliance with these requirements
| have done, or tried to do my duty re-
garding tie recent epidemic djarrh9a.
As an honorable member of the profession,
it was my duty to give my opinion to the
public as to its cause. In doing SO permit
me to say | had no personal interests to
serve, but am aetuated in the matter by
what [ consider my duty to the public the
welfare of our citizens and city.
The subject of public hygiene is not new
. IL lldS b0Cu uElIdlOus lOI IHhUy yCd1Ci III
all civilized countries, and especially in its
application to the water supply for cities
and large towns. Believing that the cpl
demic diarIhoea which has been so alarm
ingly prevalent in our city for the last two
months resulted from impure water, sup
; piled by our water works, impure from our
system of sewerage, that OF Moline and
the arsenal, aud the long continued, eXces-
SIvplU NlH raofbar apvarino N 10 will
thick ice which prevented its publication
by action Of air and sunlight, l have been
free to express my views on the subject, III
y order that our people might guard against
, the exciting cause by ceasing to use the
disease producing, filthy stuff. In doing
so few of our citizens, for some cause OF
: other, have construed what have said into
personal attacks on those most intimately
! connected with the location of the water
> works and their management Whether
II it hits them or not do not pretend to say
but will say have had no such object, OIL
! any object in view but the welfare of oul
r citizens
:. AS DR.. Kedzie truthfully said, There is
one sanitary application that men delight
; IN, whether they are in private or public po
$ sitiOnS, and that is l0hiteaUoSh. ln no way
"a
y ton for fairness and sound 1udqment as by
a liberal use of this wonderful compound
What a lavish Of this very cheap com
pound there has been in connection witt
the investigations made and being made as
to the cause Of the sickness and suffering
It of our people! and that, too in opposition
to the highest authorities as we'll as the
0 facts connected with the case Permit ne
+. to give some of the facts connected will
our water supply system, and then to quote
$ from the very highest authorities applying
; to this subject
Our water works are located IN the lowe
part of the city, and above them, within
our corporate limits, are twenty or NOR
g public and private sewers pouring thei
l. filthy matters into the river, Surface tiltl
d is also carried into the river in large guam
# titles after each rain or melting of snow
: as was the case at the time of the recon
thaw The entire drainage aud sewag
!, Of Moline as we'll as all the impurities from
their large manufactures are poured int
10 the Sylvan water and carried down to com
81 bine with the sewage from the Arsena
n buildings on the Island. Then, unitin,
% with the impurities from our own city the,
~ move downward, portion to be taken ur
81 By our water works pumps for the use 0
= our citizens. The quantity pumped int
q the pipes may, at times, be small, but
- am satisfied that even a very small guam
90 tity will contaminate the water and max
er it n0xious When the wind blows frou
n the northwest, north, or northeast, til
10 quantity driven close to the shore will b
greatly Increased, as every one knows tha
has attempted TO procure water from til
II, shore when the wind was from either
or these points. 1t is only when the win
- blows from one or the other of thes
J., points that the water pumped is imprei
u" bated with coal tar from the gas work
~ Now if the sewage from the gas works
.e- pumped into the pipes land all using I'll
tn water know it Isl what is there to preYet
the other matters. more subtitle and mort
~ bite, from being pumped in also? TIL,
he such is the case is too palpable to requil
% further discussion.
pr Dr. j. W Cowden, under date of Jal
I "a, 1877, says: Il have subjected to
10 micr0scopial examination, under a magn
no flying power of 800 diameters. portion
mt water taken from my hydrant, and fiji
he fungi, hactinia. vibrones or microscop
~ infus0ry animaicules, IN great a6undaCc
showing, conclusiyly, organic substance
It in the water IN q state Of putretdctiOn
ch etc, etc.
We, These anlmalcular may not be lnlurIo1
q but their presence indicates an jmpu
-, condition Of the water; they live on in
ar purity,-but when they are found in
state of putrefaction" they are injurio
do and do produce diarrhea and fevers."
Another cause of water contaminatic
and one that may have had something
We do with producing the epidemic. is ii
long exclusion Of the water from the pul
flying action of air, winds and sun light,
was the case during the long time o
be river was solidly covered with ice
H. | wish here to say that the auimalcul
found by Or. Cowden were not bre
1na crumbs, as some would have people believ
we for the same condition was found to exist
ed water taken from the hydrant in NJ
Il Beugston's drug store on the forenoon
, the same day-the Oath of January.
l a Professor Hammond, ex surgeon gene
md al L. S. army. 10 his work on hygiene, t
the highest authority we have to-day on th
Of subject, says, River water is often co
~ taDinated with organic matters deriv
0no from decaying vegetation and animal
wa mains. the se1Dera0e of cities. the refuse
r." manufactures, ETC.; also that ''orgai
ucb matters are frequently present 10 wat
aaa aud give it qualities which render
00' deleterious. They may be either gaseous
me morphological, as portions of decomposi
em vegetable or animal remains, infitSorj
,cts algea fungi, etc. Water in which SUI
~. matters are found readily becomes putr
-'ie scent and is most noxious to the health
Is those who use it as a drink, product
to didrrhea and .feUer'-the very causes