Wichita eagle., 1889-07-17
PHYSIOLOGY AND HYGIENE.
4 Subject of Interest to People at Country
Resorts-The Efficacy of Water Filters.

4 Subject of Interest to People at Country
Resorts-The Efficacy of Water Filters.
At this season Of the year, when many peo-
Die are living at summer hotels and country
boarding houses, and are forced to use a
water supply Of whose qualities for good or
wi they know nothing, the efficacy Of vari-
BUS means in use for purifying drinking water
becomes q matter of interest and more than
ordinary Importance. DR.. Currier, OF New
York, has recently examined into the merits
Of various filters and of other modes employed
to secure pure water, and in paper in The
Medical News be summarizes the result of bis
investigation as follows:
Boiling sterilizes water, and within thirty
minutes will have killed harmful bacteria.
Drugs and other agents acting chemically, if
used in amounts which are commonly safe
do not steriIize water. The prolonged heat
which water undergoes In the usual process
of distillation destroys ell germs which may
be in the water undergoing the process. Or
binary filters, even if satisfactory as strain
ers, fail to remove ali bacteria from drinking
water So far from lessening the number in
the original water, the fltering substance
may allow a more rapid multiplication than
these nicro-organisms would ordinarily I'm
~
and the germs Of disease, even If hAld back
by the filtsring substance, may be harbored
In all filters The finer the subs lance through
which the water passes, and the lower the
pressure, the more perfect Is the action OF the
filter in holding back the bacteria OF all
substances thus far furnished for domestic
filters porous rebeked porcelain, carefully
selected, has been found to be the best
II thick and strong enough TO allow the use
Of large surface, and the substance remain
perfect without flaw or break, this may
Weld a fair flow Of clear water, free from al
bacteria; yet, under our ordinary Croton
pressure Of one atmosphere or less, this yield
Is only in rapid drops, unless the apparatus
be complex To insure the perrnanency q
this action, the filter should professionally
seerihzed throughout by steaTning or by
other means; for, under prolonged pressure,
various kinds Of bacteria can 50 through,
and In the copious organic matter collected
On I'd. filter some harmful n1icroorganisrns
can retain high degree ot vitality for weeks
longer than they have ever been found TO live
In pure water.
A bad water filtered Is less desirable than
pure water IN its natural state. When, there
fore filtration l. employed because Of real
danger q infection, the filtered water should,
as a rule, be furthermore bo4lsd, a. the en-
tire absence Of ssdiueo. and eloodinesz does
not insure tia. the bacteria Of disease may
not have made their way through tns filter.
A Symptom of Cerebral Mentngitia
In paper o. the diagnosis ot tuosrrnlar
meningitis Dr.. Sk-r, q Chicago, makes Al
tntere~.srS statement Il regard 20 symptom
OF the dtseas. Tits symptom ia "a snail circle
which forms Ia The iyis near 90 and completely
surrounding the p1pLiasy margin A. fTxs
/. Is very fndss.inct, and resembles 6 vTez,h
Of white cio1d4 TIE cdge Of Which erte7ds AZ
frse 70 the free border q tbs 3-1S In from
twelve TO thir1yzsr hours .6e vnols margin
CT tee iris VIII Be involved, hsving become Il
q ye,lo-ish O. etittsh brown coAor. assd sp-
penrinS Irregular. t1icxernd- and so-nerflas
eranulaseiH According &c Dr.. Sxeer, WHEN
II csse Of cerebral meningitis :se vreasts
q Write elcuds sPrsnr II ~ rs - Gs-s
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