, 1881-02-06
CITY SANITATION.
The Possibilities Of Water as a
Carrier Of Contagious
Diseases.
Impure Condition Of The Aqueous
Fluid Supplied for City
Use.
liberated Sore Throats the Result OF
Bad Sewerage on Silver
Street.
Some Useful Eints on the Treatment Of
Diphther:a.

Some Useful Eints on the Treatment Of
Diphther:a.
OUR DRINkING-WATER.
IT'S POSSIBILITIES AS a Pu1syEYoN OF con-
TAG1oCS DISEASE,
Two localities-an English basement veneered
with brick and number of dilap!dnted single
and double frame s:ructurcs-were visited yes
1erday by THE TnlnuSE Health Commissioners.
-Apcopos to the sanitary laot'r here begun the
following lial1s occurred between the two nem-
bcrs Of the Commission:
doctor, as matter Of fact Is it true that the
lake water causes the so-c.lIcd winter cholcra?"
Rather parauoxical question. that. l will
answer yes aud no; yes so far as the water
may he the carrier Of tilth and lilth factor
that is augncntiye 10 disease: and no. so 1ar rs
it. the water, being the direct cause Of the
pathological condition found TO result from this
disorder
The water Is then more or less polluted with
sewaEc:"
AYES. particularly in this seascn OF tho year;
In fact, there Is no time whcn our drinking
w3tcr is absolutely free from such contamlca-
sion: md why should we expect 1t to be other
than it is? One would not naturally expect to
obtain drink 1hnt wis perfectly wholesome II
its Source was O slop-bucket- No; no more
should we who drain our titth into the vessel
out of which We drink. BESIDES, notWlthstano-
lHg this fact that we Drain everything which Is
l.oiso,ua into the lake, we. as whole, are
determined that it STALL get there ia greater
volume than can be carried there By drainage,
hence we not only permit it but we quietly sub
E.it TO it-that is, tax.-in order that it shall
be Ga,red there ns ,''t, pna,n1name'y: n through
IL municipal outlay, Doctor, that you do not
approve uf: .----.
10; u municipal outlay that will, in my opin:.
lon. in case OF epidemic, cause the tieath Of
thousands of our ci1izcns.-an outlay that Is
nov, forcing tons of refuse matter out or the
North Branch into our water -supply,-that is to
Say, into the water drawn from our hydrants-
This 1alk about the purity OF the water i'll Like
Michigan ut different depths in and about the
notisense.-muu1cipal botnoast,-and practically
means nothiug. The purity OF nur luke wafer
e1nerges into the question Of the purity
Of the water rnken from our bydrants
end not to Lake Michigan as d whole. No one
doubts but that there Is pure water In Lake
Michigan. but many question, rs they well may;
II VIC rs city get it. Our supply as delivered
through tho hydrants is equally rs foul Us Was
the waters Of the Thu,nes, Lea and New River
isms known to subsist upon filth Or upon nitro,
eaous matter gre preseut in vast numbers in
our hydrsn,- .rnler: and the fuct that they do
subs:s. herein. and that they are increasing IN
numbers, together with the knowledge that ami
NAL ma1ter. both muscular iber and animal
membrsne. and vcsetable tissue. such as barley,
: @~AAts
ried through tie conduit. from the nauseoEs
poo that VIC term river. into the lale, together
With these living organisms. natural Inhabitants
OF the river Is sufficient evidence thai tho water
But these organisms, and the decomposabc
s.ruetase =, referred TO- DO not in themselves
NO. But the fact that they are carried into
nv a p 1oa
evidence enough to create III impression. to say
the leaSt, that
THE soLCnLE SEWAGE RF THE CITY
is also brought back to us. That the vast ton
mage Of excremcntilious matter ;iat IS reasona-
bly, thought to be loaded with. disease-breedtng
germs is Il disease e-erea1ing element IS unques-
analytical research. Hassati SAYS: = II bns been
established that impure water IS 4 fruitful CAUSE
u disease, aud q great bocy of evidence to this
eject hHs already been obtained, and 1t is, ulure
orer, daily increasing, disease being oc-
cas:oned. So fur rs is known, by or
I1tntc matters which the water CONTAINS.
Int little that il precise is known. The most |
hurttul. there Is reason to believe, are those
which ere i'll SUSPENSION. and especially when |
des1vei f1utn recent sewage and feeal natter
lie further says: 'Distnse is Frequently traced !
tc the use Of waters which arc perfectly bright |
aud clear, end which contain no apprecaple
sediment The following disorders ana diseases
have Gil Of them been produced BY impure |
wa;es-namely: , dxspeosin. ditr:ltea d:seaters
tcvers, and :;gut. and We might adj dph;heria. !
In cases in which the water is largely coltami-
1tatC1 NitH sdStSEHGEu SENHE~ fStspCfTIG1 auQ |
dissolved organic 'nstters, especially those Of IN
animal nature. as sewaga and tecai natte.} it is
important u observe tEat the symptoms are
often markedly clo!eraic {purgtrg.. vomiting.
cramps, and even loss of hcat). Tie drinking uf
vntrr i.npreeaatcd with snlphurctied hydrogen I
aad q sewer gases Will likewise give rise 10
Now, while these observations are to tho
po}at and exceedingly interesting Us to our own
EnpplF. bow do soa account fora similar state |
ct nl:aifs elsewhere. and tho presence there OF
the so-eal!cd winter cholera?"
- in u}y judgment the disease Is partially in
cuced by atmospheric changes. but just bow |
am unable 10 determine; in village. town. and !
city, in fact I'LL over this broad country. every |
where during the past few years Of thrift every !
perlshnhtc and uumarkelable thing bus been |
left 10 accumulate and to subsequently decom- !
Soil US they necessarily do, have drained intu !
wells creeks. rivers, and lakes, aud have pnslut-
organic matter alrr,dy referred ro, ana in this
waE have become Il fuclor iu causing this and !
other forms Of disease
You speak Of Irving organisms such as in |
habit foul wnter. Is 1t NOT true that wholesome |
& Or pnsnt:b'e water eontains living organisms !
Yes, but those to which I refer are only
found as the natural iuhabitant Of w..;er |
conta!Eln:- filth; ney breed and live here, be-
cause Of the presence OF tilth. The dotoms and |
dcsruids. and snr,e OF the conferr.r are thought
to he unoh1ectionabe, and without doubt they |
are, AS they are almost always found In pala.a-
Die walter but the sara altrca, the hydra vligara,
the nnguil!ula iuviatfs, tue vorilcella. un Some
other FORMS among which should be mentioned !
the bacteria. X few fungi. etc., nlt Indicate tho
presence of heterogeneous NATTER
" In order to avoid the possible danger, what |
would you suggest"
u would advise TINT all water used for drink |
ing purposes should be boiled. In Il measu-e |
this will help. although it may not remove the |
dangcr from the organic matter, tho quantities
of which vary in proportion to the influx Of the |
river water"
=" But
This is Silver street; that block there is the !
one we TO visit"
HOUSE INSPECTION,
MORE IMPERFECT SEWERAGE. |
Nos. Is, l5!z, II, and tx Silver stree. ts an ]
English basement occupied by four families, |