Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1878-04-10
EnIE'S ANIMALCULE,
All About the Little Creatures Which
Inhabit the Waters of the Lakes.
Cleveland Leader

CIeVelanQ Leader.
A Leader reporter recently called upon
a physician of the city who has made
the little creatures which inhabit the
lake water a careful study and obtained
from him some very interesting facts
that have never been made public.
The eXperimenter has several Jars of
lake water, which set in the sun in his
window, and taking careful observations
of the condition of the water and the
little inhabitants from day to day, I'M
der an excellent microscope of 1900
diameters, he found out nearly all that
can be discovered. After the reporter
had been shown number Of the little
fellows in various shapes and conditions,
the doctor chatted on as follows: $50
tar as size, shape, ETC., are concerned,
these animals are all alike. The only
difference you will observe is thai on
the female the eggs are plainly visible
upon the body just anterior to the tail,
and are kept in q sort Of transparent
sack. They appear on both sides of tie
body, and often these may be distinctly
counted, as high as twenty at time.
After they arrive at this number thew
drop off one after another until all are
gone" Where are these deposited ?"
& In the sedimen at the bottom of the
jar, [ think. But they are not separ-
ated at all until they are nearly ready
to hatch. The process Of termination
is quite well along in the yelk."
" How long is it from the time of the
appearance Of these eggs upon the fe-
male until they hatch?"
=" We'll from three to five days. If
the temperature of the water is above 20
degrees, however, the Matching is great
ly accelerated"
Are there many of them in the
water in winter"'
Yes, the water seems tie be quite
well filled with them in winter. Some
one in the Plain Dealer stated that they
only exist in cold water, and if the
water got up to the temperature of the
body that would kill them. This may
be correct, but the temperature of the
water IN my jars setting in the window
in the sun is at least eighty degrees, and
they still flourish here, and seem very
lively. In water, when the tempera-
ture is below 800, the females do not
produce eggs; but, when placed in warm
water, the eggs come out rapidly"
I" From what you say, it would seem
there would be more of them in the
water in summer than in winter?"
Yes, should judge that there would
be more; but this l can not say for GER
tain, as | have not thoroughly investi-
gated the water in summer. Some one
has said that they go below in the sum-
mer, where the water is colder; but I
should not think this reasonable, from
my experience"
Are there other animals in the lake
water -
" Hardly any other There is the
aninaolcul8, or antusiorio.'
" Are these animals harmful, or can
any injury result from using the water
containing them %
"They can do no harm to the human
system, for as soon as they reach the
stomach the gastric juices will kill them
instantly. They are composed largely
of albumen, and consequently the acids
of the stomach coagulate and kill them
instantly. know this from expert
ment. have introduced small guam
titles of acids into the jars containing
them and observed the effect, which is
to destroy them
care the acids you employ similar to
those found in the stomach?"
mot necessarily; but any acid will
have the same effect from the very
structure of the animals themselves.
In regard to the termination, how
rapidly would YOU say this process is
carried on?
"Well each female has from thirty
to forty eggs, and the majority of them
will hatch. It takes from five to eight
days for this whole number to appear.
After these are Matched, the young ones,
in two or three weeks, are matured and
ready to 60 at the business of repro
ductiOn."
"What becomes Of these older ones
after they have deposited their eggs %
"Well, can answer that question
with somewhat of defniteness. [ plac-
ed three Or four of the full-grown ones
in a jar, and observed them every day,
taking them oct and placing them I'M
der the microscope, and then placing
them back in the jar. In this way l
oftW oIlCA1A bo oHC 1852 VO1O NCPOoAoCU,
and observed the young ones as they
Matched Soon after this the old ones
disappeared from view and think they
died and fell down into the sediment at
the bottom of the jar. In this way it
seemed that they existed simply to
multiply, and that over, their life term
mated"
elbow do these fellows live?"
well, there is little vegetation in
the lake water, and [ should conclude
that they live On the oxygen of the
water, largely as fish do, though they
may get something from the small
quantities of decomposing negotiations.
"Do they serve as purifiers for the
waterW
"Well, to the extent that they con-
sumo the decaying vegetation they
must necessarily purify the water. But
the lake has such broad surface that
it needs nothing else to purify it. 1t is
good water as it is"
And so the doctor chatted on. He
has taken hold Of q SIlhiect which, al