The Columbus journal., 1893-06-14
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
IMPURE DRINKING WATER AND
ITS RESULTS.

IMPURE DRINKING WATER AND
ITS RESULTS. -
cssss of Disease in Animals and People,
The Check kein-succulsnt Feed
Sheep shearlnRs and
Household Helps.
Impure Drlnking Water.
We are in almost absolute ignor-
ance as to the effects of impure sup
ply of drinking water on the health
of domestic animals The general
impression that any water is good
enough for horses, cattle and hogs to
drink has, perhaps, to account for
this state of affairs. There is no
doubt, as precise investigations and
accuracy in examinations of the
causes operating in producing dis
ease among animals proceed, impure
drinking water will have its share
allotted to it. OF one thing we are
convinced that however inert impure
drinking water may have been to an
imals in q wild state the more we
subject them to artificial conditions as
the result of civilization, the more We
remove from them the immunity they
may have possessed against common
causes of disease and the greater
the liability IS there for
causes which originally may never
have existed, to become developed.
What are the substances in water
which are liable to produce disease?
We have animal organic matter,
vegetable organic matter, particular
ly that of marshes and river bottoms,
the germs of specific diseases and
some of the salts. Commencing
with the last named, first we know
the result on the digestive organs of
horses receiving large quantity of
lime in their water. Hard water un-
produces a arrangement
of the intestinal canals and, SYM
pathetically, the skin. The harsh
standing coat of horses receiving
hard water rapidly disappears when
softer water is supplied. The
of harshness in water that will
produce this arrangement of the in
testinal canal has not been accurately
determined but from eight to ten
grains of lime per gallon has in many
cases been found injurious. Water
with sulphurous acid
gives rise in cattle to q number of
serious symptoms and to diseases of
the bones. Some veterinarians state
that water highly charged with cal
cium, carbonate and sulphate,
was found to give rise to ex-
ostosis or lunches in horses
and when pure water was given
the disease ceased. Young horses
have been attacked with bony tumOrs
on their limbs from using water
highly charged with lime salts. An
excess of sulphate Of lime in some
we'll water is supposed to have caused
an epizOotic among horses of a regi-
ment of French cavalry; en- changing
the water the disease ceased. Bu-
lyric acid. one of the results of de-
composition of organic substances,
has been known in combination with
lime to cause diarrh9a in animals.
During cattle plague in Dresden
some animals were buried ten to
twelve feet deep During the next
year water from we'll 100 yards
away had a putrid odor and contained
butyrate of lime.
Cystic calculi among animals, par
ticularly in sheep. have been attri-
buted to excessive hardness of the
water. says the Kansas City Live
Stock Indicator. Calculus diseases
are more common in limestone dis
tricts than in any other. BOils have
been supposed to be caused by drink
ing water. GOitres have been OBJ
served among horses and mules in
France from drinking waters we'll
known to produce goitre in man.
The impregnation of water by sew
erage has undoubtedly some
effect upon animals. One veterina-
rian states that is the most prolific
cause of abortion in cows, and we
have no idea how much it may be an
for cases Of intestinal irrita-
tiOn. such as diarrh9a, collie, etc. or
of obscure outbreaks of disease which
we read of from time to time.
We have at least very clear
grounds for stating that most of the
specific diseases from which animals
suffer may certainly be communicated
through the water supply. We need
only to state. for instance, glanders.
foot and mouth diseases, anthrax and
perhaps pleuro-pneumonia- How far
cases of sore throat, particularly ma
lignant sore throat. may be due to
impure water we have no knowledge.
Water acts as medium for the con-
veyance Of the Ova of parasites, as
tape worms, liver fukes, round
worms and thread worms Some
water is brackish and unfit to use.
The amount of organic matter in
water given to animals to drink is
often very high. We need only allude
to the water supply of farmyards from
pools and bitches. The water is stag
nant, putrid and swarming with ami
NAL and vegetable organism. the re-
suit of the impregnation with animal
and farmyard refuse. The
flesh and milk of animals receiving
water of this description has often a
bad taste and peculiar odor.
The poisoning of cattle from drink
ing water of pond covered with
prOtO cuccus forming o scum like
green paint has been noted. This
scum after standing for some time
gives of a stencil like urine and
butyric acid. 1t produces stupor and
Sheep die in from one
to eight hours. horses in eight to
twenty. There are no peculiar post
LESSONS except dark colOred
blood. We are persuaded that we
have many diseases from this cause
and particularly in cattle.
Succu!ent Feed.
The clover field is the great succu-