Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-02-06
THE WATER WE DRINK
DR., Charles Smart Tells Some Inter-
esting Things About 1t.
The POTOMAC And TYPHOID FEVER
Improvements in Progress Which
Will Promote Health.
III IRRIGATION OF WATER

| Or. Charles Smart, United States army
addressed the Sanitary League last night
! at Columbian University on Drinking
/ Waters" Or. Smart brought with him
/ some apparatus from his laboratory and
/ set an array OF glass retorts, tubes and
phials. Racks of small jars containing
| aquaous drinks of varying degrees of purity
| We're exhibited. Several charts, diagrams
| and tables used by the speaker to en-
1 phasze his remarks completed the stage
setting. DIR. Smart called attention in a
marked manner 10 the high death rate in
4 Washington from typhoid fever and attri-
| buted it TO Potomac water, stating how
| ever that the improvements of the water
/ supply in progress and proposed would, in
| MS opinion, render the water comparatively
nam IN this respect from typhoid fever.
| tie commended the reclamation of the
| Delacarlia reservoir and Endorsed the pro-
| ject of deepening the present reservoirs to
a depth commensurate with their area so
I that more perfect standardization might take
| place.
Dr. Smarts statement to the response
| biity of Potomac water for typhoid fever
was questioned by some well known ply
Slclans present. DIR. @. l.. Magruder said
that the matter had been for some time I'M
der consideration by the Medical Society
! '''A titN IIilpi IilttllOl obtained DN lnat So
ciety showed that the high percentage of
typhoid fever III Washington was due to
the large number OF cases occurring in the
suburban. districts outside of the range of
the general water supply. This made the
aggregate for The District appear large.
Or. Smart stated that he had not studied
| the statistics to localities, but he still
believed there was strong reason for i'm
proving the water supply of the District
Dr. smart was introduced by Major
GEORGE ii. HarrleS OF The Evening Star.
Major harrIes briefly outlined the purposes
/ OF the league and said that 1t wanted the
/ cooperation not Of the feyS, but of the
many III promoting the health of this
/ most beautiful OF American cities. A
! lamity Chat Killed d score Of men aroused
/ d community, and yet We sat with folded
/ hands and saw the development of a much
greater CdiainIty-the deaths of hundreds
/ from diseases que 10 unsanltary conditions
/ that might De prev enteu 10y Intelligent ac-
! uVity. Already much improvement had
! been made, and the report of the health
CIhcer showed mat there were 3iI deaths
less in 1898 than in the preceding year He
comm ended the house to mouse Inspection.
The league was engtlvl ~ iilt-SaNtrg
work and wanted encouragement and in
/ creased membership. x h.-ul-I IN -a-u
| ne!gnDorhOOd energetic people who were
Wiling to work Tor the general good.
/ Drinking water WAS all important thing,
/ because there were naIEluer u peJpl-
who held 10 the Old-fashIUued habit of
! using II. Dr. Smart, l.. SAID, was chair
man OF the standing committee on pollution
/ OF water supplies Of me American Public
: Health Society and emlntnIIy qualified to
discuss the question.
Dr. Smart began his lecture with an in
terestIES account Of water from Sanitar-
ldH's point Of view. Chemical purity"
he SAID, requires that there should
be nothing in the water but us own
molecules, sanitary purity requires merely
that IL should contain nOtniIG harm
fTHl .-ssrF..
use Z. supply for drinking San
/ itary purity Is therefore equivalent to
whDlesOmeucSs. Chemically pure water is
rarely 10 be found in nature. Wholesome
water is fortunately. less OF a rarity. To
cXpi-in what il consistent with wholesome
ness must invite your attention 10 three
sets of constituents IN water exclusive o.
those 5rUsSer PARTICLES that manifest ,nt r
presence to the eye 10y the naZiness or
. turbidity " hich they occasion. These con-
sJituents are inorganic matters, dead CT
ganic matter ana living organic matter.
'Ihf inorganic substances are the various
mineral salts dissolved by water in its con-
tact with the earth-saIts of potash. soda,
lime. magneSia ana iron. These constitute
I the rlass OF the residue when the wa.rr is
eyapOrited away. Although d chemical
inIpurity, they may BE- quite wholesome,
for The human system requires and asSim-
Hates from articles OF food and drink more
. than an ounce Of just such salts every day
Formerly the analyf.s Of water consisted il
J Il determination % the amounts o. these
various salts in grains per gallon. but an
analysis Of this Kind is never made now,
except in the case Of mineral waters: but
these are medicines, not drinking supplies.
If the water Is saline or alkaline or chalyo.
cate t. the taste or 50 hard rs TO Curlle
the soap ia washing, instead OF forming a
fUamng lather il viii probably cause ia
{ testInal disorders. particularly IN those not
. accustomed to its use. Otherwise the an
alySt has little interest in the Inorganic
salts, 90 the totally of their amount IS
Insufficient to cause harmful Effects.
The dead organic matter Is OF Importance
beca use u was once alive, and hrctus. il
is likely to BE- associated with that which
is still alive. 1t is not specially dangerous
in itself. In fact, it is seldom harmful pX-
cept when present in quantity 10 give 4