River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1891-11-19
LOCATION OF The WELL.
Extract from n Lecture by Dr. = II. KeI-
logg. Of the BattIe Creek Sanitarinni.

Extract from n Lecture by Dr. J. II. KeI.
logg. Of the Battle Greek sanitarium.
Dug wells are likely 10 contain a va
riety of germs unless their location il
exceptionally good and they are well
taken care Of The bottom of the well
should always reach bedrock, but it
does not in every case. We are all
familiar with the fact that the soil
which overlies bedrock always con-
tains water, and that this water will
fill the well up to the level of the
ground water. Now suppose that at
any distance from the well which is not
so great as to be out of the sphere of
possible contamination of the well. are
located a vault a cess-pool, aheap of de-
composing rubbish, a pig-stye or a barn
yard-then the rain in fltering through
these filthy substances will carry par
ticles from them below the surface of
the earth, and after awhile they will
reach and contaminate the ground
water, thus. of course, affecting the
purity of the well Matters may 90 on
about us usual for months. or even
years, and the persons who drink from
the well suffer no apparent harm, al
though they are swallowing a mass of
germs all the while. The reason is that
by peculiarly beneficent arrangement
the body is able TO protect itself against
these intruders The gastric juice is a
great germicide, and makes way with
most of them, especially becoming ac-
customed to those habitually received
But suppose some new germ like that
of typhoid fever finds Judgment in
some of these reservoirs of filth; they
propagate rapidly, and finally are car
ried to the ground-water and SO to the
well. Then there will likely be an out
break of typhoid fever in the family,
unless all the water is boiled before
using.
We look with contempt upon the
practices of the Hindoos, who battle
their bodies and wash their clothes in
the tanks which contain their drinking
water; but we really DO worse things.
because our wells are often so located
that they receive the extract of the
cess-pool and the barnyard, to
say nothing of the slops from
the house. Some semi-civiized and
savage people have learned the wis
dom of boiling the water which they
use for household purposes, and so sell
dom suffer from epidemics, although
they live in the midst of the most unhy-
gienic surroundings. For instance, the
Chinese. who live in large numbers in
boats upon sluggish streams into which
they deposit their filth, and from which
they take the water they use. There
are also certain savage tribes i'm Africa
who no more think of taking their
d rinlxing water uncooked than they do
their vans.
We are utterly thoughtless about
what takes place underground and out
of our sight, and in this respect are as
stupid as the ostrich which, by hiding
its head so that it can not see it's enc
mics, imagines that none are about! If
we can contrive TO put our filth ont of
sight, we feel perfectly safe about it,
though it is really more dangerous
when hidden than when exposed on
the surface of the ground. II
would he more offensive to the
senses of sight and smell if unburied,
but not nearly SO dangerous to life
Why? Because natural means would
be brought TO reduce it TO a harmless
condition as rapidly as possible. The
ozone in the air, the sunshine and the
germs would do their part, and the
wind blowing over it would scatter and
dilute the filth, which, being no longer
concentrated, would soon be harmless
Keep then the drainage area of your
well free from all possible eontaminat-
ing influences, and whenever you have
any doubts about the purity of your
water supply, boil every drop you use.
Reported by Helen l.. Manning.