New-York tribune., 1902-10-07

soner Woodbury..
might affect the uamuer and class Of the bacili
that might he found. Each exposure of the series
was made from 10 2,3o D. m. on clear August
day during which rain had fallen for the pre-
vious twelve hours. The work has of necessity
proceeded slowly.
Photographs have been made of the seIatine
plates which have been exposed. showing that the
air IN certain districts is teemiHg with bacilt or
various kinds This is not So alarming might
appear AZ FIRST thought The greater part Of the
bacteria captured are baciiH OF puuefactlon,
which. while they cause foul odors. are not or
th~ms"Ives dangerous 20 health The analysis and
separation II the bacteria of putrefaction from
those that are pathogenic have not yet been made.
There can b- no correct analysis OF meteorological
conditions until the normal amount OF bacteria in
the aJmosphere has been determined.
n is the opinion Of COMMISSIONS j. McG Wood
bury ~ the street Cleaning Department that the
orly WAY o. destroy the bacteria is 20 remove the
conditions which tend To increase their numbers.
That the street Cleaning Department has done
its share iu rer ovlnE the dlth which is the best
medium for bacterial prupaE zion Is shown by the
fact that from the district bounded by Broome-st-.
Broadway and East Iioustor-s and the East
River ia the first three months OF this l92Ssas
loads of s.l Kinds of garbage were removed Last
year during the same period 1854 loads were re
moved from this district-the most densely popu-
lated section OF the city.
on a single day sixteen tons of garbage is picked
Up by hand In this territory where II has been
thrown from the windows or the tenement houses.
This wind and heavy and rapid locomotiou also tend
TO increase ana distribute tie various bac I'm sucn
a district. ON the other hand. we'll cleaned pave
meats tend greatly 20 decrease their number
The following figures show the difference be
the number os bacterial colonies gathered IN
the tenement house districts and the residential
districts.
washinrton-st Brooklyn a residential district
feet above the level of the curb. - colonies AZ
the curb level I, colonies. Manhattdn-aye Brook
curt. 2s3o colonies az curb level IN Manhattan. in
sNty-e.s6th-st.. between ARK and Madison aves..
tween Madison ami oak Sts.. tenement houses. at
fn tn Italian settlement at One-1uHdrei-aud-hfty-
hrSt-st, between Morris and Railroad ayes., lilo
colonies We're found ou tho plate at the curb. and
sr4sf,t,-4ffb and Gr. b'Ir.,r. Ia r5-sfxrv sixth
sts.. mostly private houses. Is the only place that
showed greater amount of bacteria ar feet.
where the medium caught 10 colonies than "a the
curb. To- colonies.
This table shows the condition found in the mar
he, districts:
West side Of south-st. between Fulton and
Beekm1I -ts. swept half hour before exposure. al
side ~ Washington-st.. between Fulton and Vesey
zoo a zx feet $40. west side % CIiuton-st. be
tween Idyiugton and stanton SITS. band swept In
the morning az curb. 3o7'. a. six feet. SO, west
side OF Tenth-aye.. between Twelfth and Thir-
? ,sl N si % fs, s,S. vs. side ~ Ffr5ta,e b.--
tween OUe-hLndred-and-rwelfth and Oue-huudred-
morning. curb. 3.l35 az six feet bo, west side
tweuty-dfth and Oue-hundr,d- and twenty
cts. swept 1890 a. al curb, $40, at SIX feet,
Dr. Ewing Of tho Department OF Pathology of
the Cornell Medical College. in letter TO Or.
Woodbury.. says.
The presence of these large numbers Of bacteria
and mouds means dirt broad sense. and not
mentiuE aIbUmcus carhohy ydratrs. etc. causing do
composition. with formation ~ foul odoTs. gases.
etc. NON those effects not possible under
all conditions. while under other conditions they
are rot only possible. but certain
These effects require feTmeu utable and pUtrcsCiha
materials Hence such material exposed I'm such
localities will undoubtedly fermeut and purify
more readily than iu localities comparatively free
from bacteria and Woulds I'm cooked even
cooked meals dsh and peTishabIe vegetables will
stand less chance IN such localities
Vet ~ IA outirpls different question whether
the exposure and sale ~ such articles ought 10
prohibited account Of the rCh bacterial ff0ra ~
those lOcalttes Certainly tho articles would be
safer II not exposed but their exposure might
very well not he followed nv any serious results
This fact only be determined by inspection of
the Hester-et grocer - not I'm wholesome
condition. other things being equal. that Of the
grocer - Amsterda m ave and one .uudred and
tenth-St-. partly on account of the greater qhuu-
dance ot bacteria and mouds Of the lower part Of
the city. With dry. -peTiShable articles don't
believe any such rule win hold 7 may add that
the only proper remedy strikes being
limitation ~ bacteria rather than the limitation OF
trade in the crowded quarters.