Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1882-02-17
DIsEAsE-PRepUCIxe WAITE.

The theory advanced in our old text.
books that freezing purihss water has
been 20 long accepted a. true that moth.
ing bat we'll ~subtantiatsd facts proving Il
untrue would induce believers in the
theory 10 reverse their beliefs with regard
to the matter. II appears. however.
that this old theory. like many things
which were taught BY u textbooks
thirty or forty years ago. il untrue. Re
cent investigations have eonelusivsly
shswn that water which contains germs
Of disease cannot b purified BY freezing.
To this fact causes OF sickness and death
have been traced which before could not
DO accounted for.
A late number Of the Nsw York World
contains an account Of three deaths
which occurred In one family in Con-
neeticut and twelve cases Of sickness
caused BY the use Of iss-vstsr. The
family in which the deaths occurred had
enjoyed uninterrupted good health for
many years. The sanitary surround.
isgs Of the hoass In which the family
lived we're believed to be nearly perfect.
But the fact that three deaths took place
In ths family in . short time. and twelve
persons Who had visitsd the house be-
came sick and had symptoms closely
resembling those OF the members Of the
family who had died. led to . careful
examination Of everything that they had
eaten and drank. which resulted in
tracing tho cause OF the sickness aud
deaths to the use Of impure ics-water.
Il appears that during the year previous
to the sickness In the family q dam had
been built across = little stream near the
house. for the purpose Of forming .
pond from which ice could DO procured
during the winter. Ice had been pro-
cured from the pond and stored for use.
During the summer following . large
piece OF this Ice was placed in . pail
each morning and the pail filled with
water. furnishing a supply Of drinking
water 10 the family during the day. II
further appears that the stream that ran
into the pond, from which the ice was
taken. received the drainage from the
house occupied by the family. and from
. hog yard In which fifteen or twenty
hogs were kept. An analysis Of the ice.
water showed that 1t held In solution
sufficient organic matter to cause the
disease from which the members Of the
family died. Freezing. ID seems. did
NOT destroy the vitality Of the disease
producing germs.
The facts developed BY this invsstisa-
lion may be sufficient to account for
many cases Of sickness. especially Of
,yphus and typhoid fsvers, which have
como under the notice Of physicians.
where tho disease could net. bs traced 10
any known cause Because OF the gen.
orally accepted theory that freezing puri-
ass impure water. people generally have
been careless In the matter OF procuring
ice. That there is great danger in using
ice taken from shallow ponds, especially
ponds that receive drainage from barn.
yards. the facts brought out In this case
plainly shsw. A oil the Ice used on
the Constock. however. 10 taken from
reservoirs and lskes'lhat arc supplied
with pure mountain water. u people
need have no fears that u contains dis.
ssss-produeins germs. But where peo'
pie are doubtful - to the purity Of the
ice they use, and wish to have cool
water to drink. the plan recommended
by chemists is to cool water BY apply
ing leo to the outside Of the vessel
containing water. rather than to put ice
in the water.