The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-05-09

Every time a. South Side school pupil
drinks city water he swallows several
thousand bacteria. An analysis Of city
water now being used in South Minneapo-
lis for drinking purposes shows that there
are an average of 1910 bacteria to the
cubic centimeter In an ordinary drink
of water, say, nine cubic inches, there
would be something like 5,7O4 bacteria.
Disease germs have a respectable repre-
sentation in water so contaminated, grant
ing that majority of the bacteria are
harmless. From this it is reasonable to
conclude that school children Of the south
ern part of the city are constantly swal-
lowing typhoid germs, a fact which is
borne out by the great prevalence Of ty-
phoid in this city at present. The only
reason why it is not more prevalent among
the children now most subject to it must
be that they have developed an abnormal
capacity for assimilatng the germs of ty-
phod without injurious effect.
The water supply of the South Side is
now being drawn largely from the West
Side pumping station, where the water
is subject to almost direct sewage con-
tamination. AS a great deal Of the pres
ent run OF typhoid Is attributed to the use
of water from the West Side pumping "a
ton, it is fair to presume that a |, Hre
percentage of the typhoid cases on .le
South Side are due to that source.
Analysis Of the Water.
In this connection the recent analysis
by DR.. ]. F. Corbett city bacteriologist,
of water from hydrant in that district,
is of more than passing interest, for 1t
shows what kind of water is being i'm
bibed in large quantities daily by, most
of the school children of the South Side.
The results of two analyses areas follows:
Amount of water used. first, one cubic cent?
meter: second, one cubic centimeter.
colonies to each St,1are, first, 23 second FL.
Number Of squares, first 20: second. 20:
second 40. ~
DR.. COrbett is unable to say what per-
centage OF the germs are on mischief bent,
but he admits that a goodly number are
OF nature not susceptible to benevolent
assimilation in the human system.
The great majority Of bacteria to be
found in the city water are harmless"
he explained. THE disease germs are in
the great minority and when water is
comparatively free of germs of any. de-
scription it follows that the typhoid germs
haven't fighting chance. But when
germs of all descriptions are as plentiful
in city water as my hydrant analysis in
d1cates, the germs out to make trouble
are numerically strong enough to make
themselves felt. This fact has been
borne out by the Investigations which
have followed the big typhoid epidemics
which we have had here In recent years.
Ine ulSeaSe was. 1Ounds to run In parallel
lines with the water mains supplying
water from the station under suspicion
While city water is doubtless responsible
for a good share of typhoid fever, it must
be remembered that infected well water in
thickly populated districts is big con-
tributory cause
Investigation by The Journal of
the, extent to-. which city water is. con
sumed for drinking purposes in the sec
ton now being supplied by the West Side
pumps, shows that it is being largely
used to Stake the thirst of South Side
school children. Of ten representative
schools visited on the South Side only
one school was encountered in which pu
izpils were fighting shy of the fluid In
this single exception, the scholars had
simply been advised not to drink city
| water, tho they were free to imbibe it
if they SO desired. It was fact voucl1ed
for by the principal however, that most
of the scholars needed the warning. Nc
matter how thirsty they might become in
school hours, they refrained from drink
ing until school was dismissed
| 'And the, probabilities are" said the
| principal, that they drank city water
| ad lib when they returned to the paterna]