Los Angeles daily herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1884-1890, 1886-05-23
INVISIBLE DANGER.
Millions of Enemies in
the Water we Drink.
CAUSE OF INSANITY AND DEATH
InsidiOus Foes in the Daily Drink
of Mankind-llOw to De-
strOy Them.

With the advent Of hot weather ant
the thirst which il causes in those thai
work at hard labor, caution is In order
in regard to the use Of water as a bever
age. This is especially important tc
those in the mining region and ON the
desert, where the winter Is sometimes
charged with serious impurities. Those
who drink heavily OF water fresh from
the wells In these districts are likely ia
be attacked with fevers. kidney disease
or Inflammation Of the bowels. A pre-.
yentive of these diseases Is to be found
by boiling the water before drinking il.
1t is true that the taste of the fluid il
changed and its exhilarating sensation
hlunted, SO that boiled water is said To
taste fat. But that taste Is not offensive,
but merely IA negative sensation that
soon becomes agreeable. The process
of boiling releases the gases held by the
water in the bubbles which come
tumbling to the surface, which are oxy-
gen, nitrogen and carbonio acid. These
gases are essential to the support OF fish
life in water as to human life above
water. Ii fish be placed in water that
has been actively boiled, that is cooked
and then cooled, 1t will come to the sur.
face to get the gases that have been ex-
PEELED, aud if kept by a screen from
reaching the surface it will die In a short
tin e, being actually drowned in the
cooked water, as u human being is
drowned in water.
The boiling OF water also precipitates
the carbonate Of lime which has been
held in the water by the carbonic acid,
in nn invisible solution, but when this
gas has been expelled by boiling, it let's
20 its grip on the lime, which falls to
the bottom and forms crust. This
may easily be seen in large quantities on
the bottoms of tea kettles and in steam
boilers. Persons who never drink boiled
water can see what mass OF lime they
constantly swallow, by looking in the
bottom OF family tea. kettle.
If n little of carbonic acid is infused
into this tea.kettle lime. there will be
great delight at the union, and much
kissing and smacking, like "a meeting OF
school girls after vacation. Boiled
water is supposed to be as Hat and
tasteless to the average man us life with
out kissing is to the average girl.
But by far the greatest danger In
drinking uncooked water arises from the
millions of little animal denominations
that abound in water in warm country,
where the water il more or less filled
with vegetable growth. The names of
these microscopic denominations are also
abominable, being microcci, baccii, 6act-
eria, etc. These internal creatures were
In the blood of President Garfield when
he died, and can be found in the blood
of all persons who die of blood poison.
ing. All these little murderous fellows
are killed by cooking the water, and
become food instead of assassins.
The longevity of some of our maternal
ancestors is no doubt traced to the use
| of boiled water. While the men were
| in the hot fields at work, drinking large
drafts OF cold water from the springs,
and brooks, the old ladies at home,
when thirsty, took zip OF tea, either
imported, or of catnip, or OF some other
| fragrant herb or root, which grew in
Ne forest or garden. As a result the
men had sun-stroke, fever, cholera
morbus, dysentery and other violent
diseases. aud many passed to an early
grave, while the venerable old ladies
kept company with their tea.kette for
more than four score years. There
were many widows in Israel in those
days.
These scenes yet remain in some of
the interior portions of the country and
are most noticeable and striking. They
| furnish lesson for our adventurers,
who are compelled to live where the
water is more or less impure. In China
| the custom of boiling water before using
it as a beverage has prevailed for a
thousand years. In that densely inhab,
| tied country, where the water must me-
cessarily he bad, it is necessity to the
support of life. The deadly plague,
which sweeps away thousands OF cara
vans of pilgrims, is traceable to the use
| of impure water, combined with un-
buried filth. These elements always
threaten the miner in his camp, and
should be attended to at once. The
summer heat is abroad ON the desert and
our brave pioneers, prospectors, team
sters and miners are exposed to these in
visible dangers. 1t is time to be watch.
full and wise.
But in the matter of these little horri.
BILE looking creatures, 1t is pleasant to
know that they do not affect everybody
alike, There are some persons whose
secretions are such that they kill OIL
these little creatures as soon as they en-
ter the stomach. These are called non.
receptive persons, while those who are
injured by these little pests are recep-
tive persons, and the question IS interest
ing to every one to know to which class
they belong The writer has good and
sufficient evidence of belonging to the
receptive clasl, in whose veins and arte-
ries the bacteria flourish riotously, and
has frequently been made seriously sick
by using the waters of the western
rivers without being cooked, and been
obliged to STAY the bacterian host with
calomel.
CAUSE OF INSANITY.
The latest theory of the rapid in
crease OF insanity in California is that
the excess of alkali in the water destroys
the brain tissues and produces softening
of the brain, insanity and death. Some
persons who have recently become in
sane were in the habit of drinking two
gallons of water per day and still con.
tinue to take it in large quantities. II
/ this theory be true, the Importance OF
boiling or distilling drinking water must
commend itself to all sane persons. The
water in this city that now carries SC
much floating foreign matter, after being
boiled and cooled is of remarkable clear
ness. All hotels and houses that have
|