Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-07-10
BACTERIA In OUR ICE.
Germs Of Typhoid Fever, Cholera,
Etc, Found by an Analysis
OF THE SUPPLY OF BOTH C. les.
Moreover, the Supply is Beginning to
Run Very Short.
TYPHOID FEVER ALL OVER ALLEGHENY

The chief feature of the meeting of the
Iron City Microscopical Society last night
was paper read by DR.. Chevalier @. Jack.
son on Bacteria i'll Ice, With Special
Reference to the Ice Supply of Pittsburg
and Allegheny" The Doctor illustrated
his paper BY specimens of the bacteria Of
typhoid fever found in ice, and other strata
having different bacteria which induce
cholera, consumption. etc. The following
is resume of the paper, leaving out some
of the technical features:
',It has always been supposed that the freez-
ing of water, like its distIllaton, excludes con-
tanned impurities, but as 1 think / can show
you by the present report of some investiga-
tions. the idea is erroneous. True, gross i'm
purities, much organic and mineral matter are
thrown out by freezing, but the bacteria, the
only really harmful ingredients, are retained.
NEVER FREEZE TO DEATH
''More than this onlv a certain number of
these bacteria are killed by low temperature.
This is not surprising when looked at in the
light of the long-known fact that higher or
eanzed forms of animal life, such as frogs and
fish, have retained their vitality after being
''Ice, like water. may look pure and clean,
though literally swarming with bacteria. For
instance, as shown by Prudden, l,500,0 600 of
micro-organisms may be added to a table,
spoonful of perfectly clear distilled water with
out appreciably altering its limpidity when held
up in a test tube to a strong light. AS we shall
see, bubbly or snow ice contains, often, an i'm
mensely greater number of bacteria. Here,
however, opaqueness of the ice is not
due to the micrc-organisms present, but
rather the bacteria collected there as the
result of the capillarity and presence of air.
To so great an extent does this idea that ice
must be pure prevail, that it is a common thing
for people, who would be Mortified at the idea
of drinking from known filthy stream while
flowing in its channel, will much enjoy drink
ing the melted ice from the same stream,
though the water contains almost, if not quite,
as much danger after as before freezing"
"During a series of six months, / made an ex-
tended series of microscopical and biological
analysis of the ice supply of Pittsburg and
Allegheny. 1 was led to this by the discovery
which l made in the endeavor to ascertain the
cause of three cases of typhoid fever which oc-
Cured in family living in the suburbs. A
most careful analysis of the well water failed
to show anything, and the patients had never
drank away from home. A long, careful
search in the matter led me to analyze the ice,
which had been used freely, with the result of
finding in 1t enormous numbers of bacteria,
and undoubted evidence that this was
THE SOURCE OF THE TROUBLE.
The Ice had been taken from a small pond
horribly polluted with surface water. and
receiving the overflow from a cesspool close
by. Subsequently, and as time permitted, 1
investigated the condition of the ice supplied
to our city markets, in order to az sSertain its
purity. With this object in view l examined
20 samples from each of the seven companies
and individual merchants. Each of the 20
samples from the respective companies were
procured on different days, and therefore
to secure a fair average, for, as
very shortly discovered, there is q
considerable variability in the distribution of
bacteria through ice from the same body of
water. In collecting these samples, manifestly
impurs ice, containing gross foreign matter,
as leaves. grass, mud, ETC.. was rejected for the
reason that sucn ice is not used by the con-
sumer. and usually is not delivered by the
more responsible dealer. Besides dirty ice
usually represents but a very small proportion
of the crop of any given ice field"
After explaining biological analysis, and
stating that the lump of ice used was about
half an ounce from the sample to be examined,
he sa d:
Ofthe % samples examined from each company,
ten were Opaque and ten OF clear ice. This was
for the reason that before going far, discovered
that snow ice contained from five to ten times as
many bacteria the transparent article. The
ing tuble. giving the average number of bacteria
to cubic ceutimeter: