Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-02-06

give rise to diarrhoeal troubles.
The living organic matter consists of
| various organisms differing in size from
the water feas. Daphnia and Cyclops,
which are visible to the eye, to minute
moving points. which are visible only by
means of the higher powers of the micro
scope. These have been carefully studied
for many years, but their presence throws
but little light on the question of whole
someness. L may mention to my medical
friends that the presence of amorphous
amoeboid masses has always been assoc
ciated with the chemical results indicative
of vegetable organic matter, and, In my
own experience with water which has
/ been suspected of causing remlttent ma
larial fevers.
Harmless and Harmful Impurities.
you Will observe, then, that since the
saline matters ana the dead organic matter
are not specially unwholesome except when
present in quantities appreciablc to the
taste, and since most of the living crgan-
isms present in water nave little influence
On its quality. the question of wholesome
ness becomes reduced to a determination OF
the presence or absence of certain organisms
which know to be the germs OF disease
and to be sometimes contained in water sup
plies. These are the germs of malarial and
typhoid fcvers and of cholera Ii IS TO the
microscopic and bacteriologist that we
would naturally look for the detection of
these. but bacteriolCgy is yet in its infancy,
a lusty infant. it is true and giving promise
of phenomenal manhood. There may be
in the distributing reservoir of large city
enough of the germs of typhoid fever To
cause sickness and sorrow in many house:
hold in the course of a year, but what
chance has the microscopist of discovering
them in the part of drop which covers the
field of his microscope? There may be sew
eral specimens of four-leaved clover in the
meadows, but what are our chances of
finding one in a handful pluCked at random?
Extravagant ideas of the powers of scien-
inv tsns na4Yif he'd
Not long ago | saw il asserted that a
cholera germ had no more chance of passing
along the current of the Potomac undetected
by the bacteriClogist than mad dog had of
careering along Pennsylvania avenue at
midday without being discovered. Indeed, ii
is because of the inability so far of the
bacteriologist to detect the germs that an
appeal for information is made to the sam
itary chemist. The chemist examines the
dead organic matter in the water. Malarial
infection is a product OF a soil in which the
decay of vegetable organic matter is in
progress. Waters draining from such a
soil carry with them the malarial infection
and also more or less of the decaying organ
ic matter. the presence of the latter, dis
covered by the chemist, suggests the like
lihoOd of the concurrent presence of the
former. When the germs of typhoid fever
or or cholera are present in water they
generally enter the water along with sew
age. for II is known that these pathOgenic
or disease-breeding organisms are cast ont
of the sick person by way of the intestinal
canal. Hence When the presence OF animal
matter or sewage is detected by the chemist
the likelihood of the concurrent presence of
the bacillus of typhoid fever is suggested.
Chemistry makes no pretense of discovering
! the germs of disease, but merely suggests
the likelihood of their presence-the presence
of malaria in association with vegetable
matter; the presence Of the bacillus of
typhoid in association with animal matter.
Four Classes Of Water.
I'VE come now to the second division Of
am cY,hSa ola
For sanitary purposes water may be divided
into four classes-rain water surface water,
subsoil water and subterranean water-and
if we follow out the natural history of water
shall see good reason for this classifi-
cation.
The waters of the earth, under the liven-
ing influence of the sun, rise from the sur
lace as an invisible vapor-the spirit of
pure Water-which is translated above 10
the higher regions of the atmosphere wher"
II Is born again. by condensation into little
drops or absolute purity, and deScendS as
rain. But 1t does not preserve its purity FOR
long. Even as it falls its purity is impaired,
sacrificed to secure that Of the atmosphere.
During d long period of dry weather the
aerial ocean in which We live becomes hay
and Obscured from floating particles OF dust.
Dut the rainfall sweeps these particles to
the ground and the outlines of distant OBJ
jects are seen again clear cut through the
purified air. IL is not, however, the impulity
.
swept from the collecting or shedding sur
faces. that chiefly contamInates our stores Of
rain or cIStern water. All the dust and dirt
tuat have settled on the roof. the deca yIng
leaves and other matters that have accumu-
lated IN the conductors, are Carried INTO the
cistern, where they form a layer OF black
putrcsce.t sediment. Nevertheless, rain
water, when ordinary care Is t4h.n to ire
serve its purity. is :rae from ,itngtr- n the
side OF malarial infection, and Tree also from
danger on the side OF typhoid il II &c stored
IN raised TANKS. rne records of New Or
leans, La, which clty has its supply Of
drinking water in raised = press wood els
terms. snow few deaths from typhoid fever
and the cases that DO occur are attributed
by the doctors to importation from ether To-
calities. II stored in underground cistern,
and the ciStern is SOUND, the water lyill be
free from injection; but IL tcere are LEAKS in
the cl5tern, permitting inflow from a con-
tauinated soil, typhoid germs may cIter
reaGily as into shallow well. -
When the rain reaches the surface of the
ground part Of II drains off 10 lower surface
levels. forming creeks and rivers ponds ami
lakes. he purity OF tn!s sucfaca water L.
ponds Oh the nature anu cOndiiDn of the
shedding area. Ii The latter l. hard anl in
/ soluble, as in granatlc r~s!.nS. or clean, as
. in unsettled uplIndS, th- water may be
pure as good cIStern water. II il pcrcnIates
among masses Of decay InS vegetation, as IN
our western forests where the living veg
/ cation springs from tie moIdering decay Of
years ana ages, IL DecDil 8 charged VITA tnt
soidHle products OF that decay. II il Stag
mates in rank bottom ldnIs ana marshes ana
thereafter drains mo t--r rl.cr or lakc, l.
! becomes similarly charged, and, in either case
! il is probably mdlarlOus. rake, as an in
stance, the waters u Jne ilo Grande. AT
fort Brown, Texas, the garrison WIS lrOS-
uattu by malarial TeV+rs SO long ~.
. turLiu waters OF that river wee Jumped Up
/ "a d water supply. Ihre, Years ago d sap
ply OF pure drinking water was provided
ana with the diScOntnuanCc - the use of
/ the river water the prevalence Of mAlari;l
fever ceased and the post became as healthy
/ as an Atlantic summer resort.
/ on the other hand. If the rain is shed
! from a surface that has been contaminated
I by human settlements. it washes into the
/ fifth and with them the germs of typhoid
: fever, If they are present. Nine years ago
/ there prevailed in the Nttle town OF Ply
mouth. Pa, an epidemic Of typhoid which
/ affected 100 people and killed one-t"nth of
! those affected. The town got its water sup
ply from IA mountain stream which vas
damned in a TaVine to form Il distributing
and storage reservoir. On the bank oil the
! strsam and Just above the reservoir was
| house, and in the house a young man sick
I with fever contracted in Philadelphia. The
. typhoid infection from this patient was not
/ unfrequently thrown ont on the g-ound in
! front of the house-it was winter and the
I ground was frozen at that tIme-but some
weeks later as the young man was getting
well there came Il thaw and d rainfall. The
| frozen acCumulations were dissolved swept
into the st-eam-into the reserVoir-into the
mains. and the epidemic in Plymouth was