The Wilmingtonian. (Wilmington, Del.) 1882-188?, 1883-06-23
THE POLLUTION Oh RIVERS.
The connection between foul
water and disease-Facts
and figures for Viii
mingtonians.

OnehnlSIS DeinS poWerless u heip the sah-
itarian in discriminating between wholesome
and unwholesome water, it seems essential
to consider what can be done by microscop-
lists and biologists. In the first place it is
an aseertained fact, proved beyond the pos
sibility of doubt, that mere iii"
far soever it be carried, does n
operative the specific act,> ~ ..,.Is
germs, and so marvellous is the rapidity of
reproduction of low forms oflife, that if the
environment or conditions are favorable to
their growth, it matters little whether the
liquid is stocked with ten or with ten thous-
and at the commencement. In few days
there will be as many as can exist, the only
ceived most of the communicating liquid
| will arrive at the maximum few hours be-
fore the other. There can be little doubt
but that the same thing occurs in the case
| of the human subjects. Provided the indi-
vidual is sufficiently weakly or unhealthy,
it is of small Importance whether he re-
ceive, 1000 or 1000, 600 parts of infectious
matter (whether in the form OF organized
germs OF not is immaterial), and conse-
quently one part of infected sewerage con-
tanning the dejecta of persons suffering from
zymotic disease mixed with 100000 parts
of water will be nearly as dangerous to him
as one part ptr 1000. Of course the less
contaminated water would probably not
affect person in more robust health who
might succumb to the use of the highly con-
wishes to insist upon is that it will be i'm
possible to Danish zymotic disease from a
town whose water-supply has been contain
mated with the dejecta of patients suffering
from that disease. The very weakly will
contract it from the almost inapprecable
amount of infection contained in the water
and from them it will spread to those who
have resisted the poison in its diluted state
Secondly the germs which carse or ac-
company disease are endowed with the
most persistent vitality, and are capable of
withstanding heat, cold, moisture drought,
and even chemical agents, to marvellous
extent. So difficult ia it to destroy them
that for many years the now exploded doc
trine of spontaneous generation found tai
euted supporters, who relied on their own
carefully conducted experiments to prove
} the theory, all which experiments were sub
sequently found to have been rendered H.
lusory by the astounding vitality of these
: low forms of life.
Bearing in mind, then, the influence, or
rather the absence of appreciable influence,
} of mere deuton and the difficulty with
D which infectious matter is destroyed the
conclusion that once contaminated water
; never purifies itself sufficiently to be safe
9 for dietetic purposes becomes inevitable
= and as chemical analysis fails to give relia
BILE evidence as to its fitness or the reverse
the author believes that the only safe test
: of the wholesomeness of given water il
: by tracing it to its source, and aseertainine
t that no Objectionable impurities gain acces,
. to it. E.s|#. 4
d This will at once condemn all rivers flow
3 ing through popuous country; and if i
) be considered that a river is the natura
: drain of district into which everything
s soluble or suspensible in water ultimatel,
> finds its way, it will not be a matter o
It wonder that this should be the case. N,
d conservancy board can keep pollution ou
of river; it must receive all the rain fall
10 ing within the limits of its watershed lex
1t cepting of course' that which is evaporat
is ed), together with the overaowings of cess
Q, same area. 1t is part of the great circula
r tory system of the earth which it is IN vail
for man to attempt to control.
be This being so, it is evident that rivers
mt except near their source, can only affor
to polluted water, and problem utterly III
soluble by man is presented, viz. the purf
ng cation of foul waters on a large scale. tt
ne chemist can do it in the laboratory, but on
he by adopting a similar process to that |
he which it is effected In naturalization
lily the ammonia in the soil or its oxidation
to nitric acid, followed by distillat'on by Il
heat of the sun. Take for example, /
case of river with town of $4,000 inha
I'D tants on its banks. If supplied with wat
to at high pressure and severed, the amou
n Of fnul xvata, dio IA arnsad into +l,a ,;,,o,, -