The Indianapolis journal., 1903-07-03

The personal statement TO the board by
DR.. White is as follows:
ION the ninth of April 1903, made a re-
port to your board after six weeks careful
examination of the city water supply.
which report was made a supplement 10 a
terests of the public health to boil water
before using for drinking or culinary pur-
poses This report was put on file by the
Board or Health In IL gave my findings
at that time, my conclusions and my opin-
ions as 10 the value of the colon bacillus
an Indicator of pollution. The state
ment was as follows: Just how much i'm
portance should be attached 20 the pres
ence of the colon bacillus in water supply
is disputed point, but consensus OF opin-
ion is certainly that ii is a suspicious fac
tor and in the present instance IL seems
TO me TO be factor of the utmost impor-
tance. First, for the water from the
driven wells is so free from contamination
that IL cannot have its origin there: second,
the water OF the river and upper gallery Is
so evidently contaminated, and of the same
nature chemically and bacterially, and the
water OF the lower gallery at the entrance
of the water from the upper gallery Is so
nearly alike both of these, that there can
be but little doubt OF its source. IL must
be considered as an evidence OF fecal pol
luton such as the river is always subject
to. Third the lower gallery itself. i'm its
midst, is also infected. and probably has a
constant new supply of the same cnarac-
ter, giving a constant supply also TO the
city mains going TO the other half OF the
city, the south half of the city standing
little chance Of contamination since Ii
draws it's supply from the opposite end OF
the gallery and the wells that enter there
This, IL will be seen,, in so far as the
actual finding and the doubt as TO the con-
elusive value of the colon bacillus. Is the
same as in the report submitted by Dr.
Clark and myself last week. IL was impos-
sible however, for DR.. Clark and myself
TO agree In Interpretation OF our results SO
that our conjoint report was confined 10 a
statement of the facts only. In the last
examination. fifty per cent. of the gas tube
cultures taken directly from the water
were positively infected with colon bacillus
and over seventy per cent would proba bly,
have shown IL IL more time had been al
lowed for the examination. This means
that In at least every centimefer OF water
"a half teaspoonful-there is at least one
colon bacillus. which would mean a very
large number for the total amount of water
consumed. The condition OF the water va
ries. of course. at different times OF the
year and IL was worse during the examina-
tion I'm March and April than during tha
present time. Now. although the value OF
the colon bacillus a conclusive test Ia
questioned by some observers, vet these
same observers use IL constantly. and indi-
cate I'm their writings improved methods for
its detection. and with the streptococcus
and staphyloccoccus group IL is the only
organism TO which Importance can be at
tached. The former report combined a
chemical and bacterial examination which
gave In each case similar results and led
TO similar conclusions, but leaving both
aside. the construction OF the upper gallery
Is such that in the interest OF the health OF
the public IL ought 10 be condemned as .
part OF the city water supply IL the upper
until the water company can furnish SUM-
cient water free from danger of contamina-
ton. the public is 10 be advised TO boil the
water for drinking and cooking purposes"