Brookings weekly register. (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1898-1903, 1900-10-25


Many hotels, Office buildings and
other institutions throughout the land
are supplied with mechanical filters
which are generally supposed to puri-
fy the drinking water used in the re-
spective places, and upon which spec
pertaining to them. That most of
these filters are actual detriments,
says the Philadelphia Medical Journal,
has been clearly demonstrated by the
bacteriologist of the Buffalo health
department In series Of examinations
covering period of one month. Sam
pies of water were taken daily from
the city reservoir, from ordinary taps,
and from taps the water of which had
passed through a mechanical filter.
This filter was established in the base
ment Of building for which it was in
tended to be used, of sufficient capac-
ity to filter all the water required in
the building, and connected with the
main supply pipe, so that filtration
was carried on under continuous pres
sure. The number of bacteria in the
reservoir samples ranged from $50 to
220 per cubic centimetre, in the ordi-
nary tap water from 100 to $50 per
cubic centimetre, and in the filtered
water from /, ,lS0 to $500 per cubic CEN
timetre. This is not surprising; it is
astounding! 1t is matter to which
public attention cannot be directed too
strongly. Any filter which will multi
ply the danger from drinking water
seventeen times, while ostensibly mini
MIXING the danger, is worse than the
most fatal pestilence of whose exist
ence the public is aware and which it
can avoid. This filter clarified the
water, and that was about all that
could be said in it's favor, while ap-
parently the number of bacteria in
creased with the length of time the fl
ter was in use. making it veritable
germ breeder. Regular tests should
be made OF all filters, and those found
Ineffective or detrimental should not
only be condemned, but their sale pro-
hibited, on the same principle as that
of unsanitary food stuffs. This is a
subject in which few people are pro-
ficient. Hearing and reading so much
about the necessity of water filtration
the average person assumes that any
filter answers the purpose, and no one
can tell which filter is good or bad
except by scientific tests.
Snake Venom.
A cobra when thoroughly reused to
anger Is by no means a gentle creo
ture. He was now most formidable
beast to approach, striking out des-
perately at every movable thing within
and even out of his reach. But even
In this condition Kullan had no diff
Guilty in seizing the largest of cobras.
He would hold up and shake rag In
his left hand. On this the infuriated
reptile would rivet its gaze. With his
right hand from behind the man would
then suddenly seize the head. and an
assistant would fasten firmly on to IT'S
tail to prevent 1t winding round Kul-
lan's arm. His right hand would then
slide forward till he has fastened his
fingers around the neck Just behind
tno jaw. nc Wouiu tneu Insert the
rim OF watch glass between the Jaws
the grip on the neck would be slightly
reiaxed,a and the serpent would vicious
ly close its jaws on the watch glass.
and in doing so squirt the whole of its
venom through the tiny holes of its
fangs into the concavity Of the glass.
In this manner snake after snake was
made to part with its venom into a
watch glass. Often between sixty and
a hundred snakes were so dealt with In
the course of morning. The watch
glasses were then placed on a small
glass stand In a plate swimming with
melted beeswax. Large glass bell lars
were then heated so as to drive out
most OF the air in them. and these
were inverted over the plate on to the
wax. The entire plate was then placed
on shelf and the venom allowed to
dry in vacuo for seven days. At the
end of that time the dried venom "a
fiaky yellow powder) was scraped or
the glass with sterilized knife, the
powder was hermetically sealed up In
small glass tubes, the tubes labeled,