Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-09-30

pure and Impure Water I'm a sani-
tary Point of View.

the water works supply has been 3 matter
discussed OF late at the meetings Of the
Medical Society of this city. and Is now IN
der consideration, understand, by the City
Council, as well as q matter OF interest to
the whole community, and l am myself
deeply interested in the subject, l take this
occasion to lay my views before the public,
hoping thereby to elicit some discussion Of
= matter Of such vital importance to our
citizens, from those who may have more En-
Hghtened views affecting the health, happi-
ness and prosperity Of this city.
Now, sir, I an but q tyro in science,
admit, and may not possess q personal
knowledge Of the subject in all its bearings,
but have for some time past been studying
I'D the subject, and In an article prepared
for publication some years since, present
ed nv own views and substsntiated them
by quotations from the best authorities
could find. And frat, referred to what
DR.. Parks says in his work on medical
Hygiene" prepared especially for use in
the medical service OF the British army, and
furnished by our own government, from its
Intrinsic merits, for the benefit Of the medi-
cal staff Of the United States army.
SOLDIERS" says DR.. Parks, "should be
taught BY their medical officers that there
ia danger IN drinking turbid water, as they
will often do when they are overcome with
thirst. Not only all sorts OF suspended
matters may be gulped down, but even
minute animals. On some occasions the
oh in A1UfgFa aUff9red from the
men swallowing small leeches, which
brought on dangerous bleeding. The
leeches are so small as to look Ike small
bits Of vegetable matter, fixing themselves
in the pharynx (the posterior part OF the
mouthl, the posterior mares, ETC., more
rarely in the larynx, causing repeated
hsmoptysis, epistaxis, or asphYxia."
An instance of this occurred 10 this city,
and came to nv knowledge, from the use
of the hydrant water, with q gentleman
who was in the habit Of throwing the water
up in his face and dipping his face into the
basin Of water while bathing. Suddenly,
without ever having had hemorThage from
the nose, drops OF blood began TO trickle
down, and after making an effort to blow
his nose, a leech from quarter TO half an
inch long was expelled therefrom, to his
manifest relief, and the consequent arrest
OF the hemorrhage. Upon careful inquiry
IN no other possible way could the leech
have attached itself within the nostril but
in the way described, and from the use OF
the hydrant water.
Again, as consequences of an insufficient
and impure supply Of water, the Health OF
Towns Commission in their invaluable re-
ports to the British Government collected
much valuable information on this point.
The result OF such a state OF things is a
general lowered state of health among the
population. It Is thought also that certain
skin diseases, and the epiphytic affections
especially-that is, diseases arising from
vegetable parasites getting into the system
and ophthalmia, in some cases, arise from
this cause, and are thus propagated.
It has also appeared that the remarkable
cessation of spotted tYphus among civilized
nations is in part owing, not merely to bet
ter ventilation, but TO the use Of purer and
better supply Of water.
The deficiency of water, leading TO the
insufficient cleansing OF sewers, has great
effect in the spread of typhoid and choleric
diaTrhe. And cases have been known in
which outbreaks of the latter disease have
been arrested by heavy fall OF rain. This,
then, shows the Importance TO the health OF
the city OF Council providing full supply
of pure water, and also such connection
between the water works and the sewers
running through the city as to provide for
their regular and thorough cleansing in
times of drought. For to this In part am
disposed to attribute the good health Of the
city in heavy falls Of rain. At present,
owing to the difficulty OF making &C
curate analysis OF water, the exact
connection between impure water and
disease does not stand on so precise
an experimental basis as might be
wished. There arc some who deny that
even considerable organic or mineral impu
ritY in water can be proved to produce any
bad effect, while others believe that some
mineral ingredients, such as carbonate of
lime, are useful. One wTi er, indeed, has
proposed to add carbonate Of lin o water
to supply lime for our bones, ard even so
excellent q writer as Johnston has imposed
that in Ireland the deficiency Of lime salts
Is supplied by the large amount of lime In
the water which in so many parts OF the
country is supplied from the mountain lime
stone.
1t may be true that water containing a
large quantity Of organic matter, or much
sulphate of lime or magnesia, has been used
for long periods without any III effects, ex-
amples OF which are stated by two French
writers, Paraut Duchstelet and Boudet.
In some Of these cases, however, very
little careful inquiry has been made into
the state of health of those using the
water, and that most fallacious of all EVIL
dence, a general impression, without
careful collection Of facts, has often been
the only ground on which the opinion has
| been formed. AS well observed by Mr..
Simon, in one of his philosophical reports
| (second annual report to the city OF LondoD),
we cannot expect to find the effect Of i'm
pure water always sudden and violent; its
results are indeed often gradual. and may
| elude ordinary observation, yet be not the
| less real and appreciable by close inquiry.
| In fact, it is only when striking and violent
/ effects are produced that public attention
is arrested to the subject; the minor and
more insidiOus, but not less certain, evils
are borne with the indifference and apathy
of custom. This much seems to be certain;
| that, as precise Investigations proceed, and
indeed, ia proportion to the care of the in
| uuiry and the accuracy OF the chemical ex
| animation, a continually increasing class Of
| cases Is found to be connected with the use
| " impure waterJ AID it seems only reason
| able to infer that still more rigid inquiry
will further prove the frequency and i'm
portance Of this mode of origin OF some
diseases. Animal organic matter, especially
when OF focal origin, vegetable organic
matter, when derived from marshes, and
some salts, are the principal noxious ingre-
| dients. The quantities or these ingredients,
| which should not be exceeded In good
drinking water, may give hereafter, as
well as the methods Of getting rid of them,
/ but as they do not come within the scope
|
OF the various mineral ingredients the
| least huTtful substances appear to be car
| Donate Of soda and chloride of sodium
when not present in too great quantity.
/ Carbonate OF lime, when not exceeding
| twelve to sixteen grains per gallon, is not
usually considered unwholesome, though 1t
/ remains to be seen whether a more careful
| inquiry will not indicate some effect on di-
| gestion or assimilation to be produced by
| the constant use of such water. The salts
usually considered hurtful, except when in
very small quantities, are sulphates Of lime
aud magnesia, chlorides Of calcium and
magnesium, nitrates and nitrites, and buty-
rate OF lime.
In consonance with my expressed design
of treating this subject in practical way
by enumerating diseases which have, on
good evidence, been attributed to impure
water, 1 will first allude to affections Of the
| alimentarY mucous membrane.
1t is reasonable to suppose that the impu-
rites OF water would be likely to produce
their greatest effect upon the membrane
with which they come first In contact. This
| is found to be the case,
Symptoms which may be referred to the
convenient term dyspepsia, and which con-
/ sist in some loss of appetite, vague uneast-
ness or actual pain at the epigastrium (pit
| Of the stomach), and slight nausea and con-
etipation, with occasional diarrhRa, are
caused by water containing any quantity of
sulphste Of lime, chloride Of calcium, and
the magnetism salts. DIR. Sutherland found
the hard water Of the red sand stone rocks,
which was formerly much used in Liver
pool, to have a decided effect in producing
constipation, lessening the secretions. and
causing viscersl distractions; and in Glas-
Il "a -. l.