The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-06-26
Men Eminent in Their Special Lines
Are Here to Tell Each Other
All About 1t.
BAD WATER FOR THE CITIES
SEWAGE SHOULD BE PURIFIED BE-
FORE DUMPED INTO RIVERS.
Interesting Addresses and Discus
sions by Members of the Health
Omcers' School.

School teachers should be trained to de-
tect contagious diseases before they are
given a school; baths should be established
in schools; schools should be built well OF
the ground and the rooms should be light
and we'll ventilated: the cloakrooms espe-
cially should be large and well ventilated;
no dirt should be allowed in any part of
the buildings. and the cracks in the floors
should be given especial attention and not
allowed to contain dirt.
These recommendations were made to In
diana's health officials yesterday afternoon
by Prof. Severance Burrage, formerly a
professor of Purdue University. He was
discussing the subject School Sanitation. %
One hundred and seventy local health
officers, representing the most important
city, town and county health boards in
Indiana, are in indianapolis to get direct
instruction from DIR. w. n. Wishard and
DR.. j. n. Hurry, president and secretary
of the State Board of Health, about their
work. These 10 doctors are attending the
Indiana Health Officers School, which Is
being conducted at the Medical College
of Indiana by the State board. DR.. Wishard
and DR.. Hurry are being assisted in this
work by John S. Wright, a noted botanist,
Prof. Severance Burrage, formerly Of Pur-
due University. M. o. Leighton, chief of the
hydro-economic division of the United
States Geological Survey, and other we'll
known men.
THE PROGRAMME.
The school is a long programme of lee
lures, all technical, bearing upon the gen.
eral subject. 1.-The Public HEALTH How Can
oh
Reduce Her Death Rate, Prevent Many
Prevalent Diseases, and Exterminate Many
Contagious" The lectures began yesterday
morning and will be concluded tonight
with an address by DR.. Hurry, and paper
by Deputy Attorney General Hadley. The
health officers are in indianapolis at the
summons of the State Board of Health,
and their expenses are to be paid by the
city, town or county they represent This
meeting is regarded as one of the most i'm
portant gathering of doctors ever held i'm
the State.
Last night the health officers listened to a
paper upon the subject, Public Water
Supply by NJ. o. Leighton, chief of the
hydro-economic division of the United
unsanitary. driven and artesian wells can
not be depended upon for a continuous
supply of water. The majority of the peo-
pie of the United States have to depend
of the water taken from rivers for drink
ing purposes Is impure; the people of the
United States must attain higher stage
of civilization and either purify sewage
before ii goes into the rivers, or filter the
water taken for drinking purposes until Ii
is pure, or both. The country cannot 60 on
very long drinking impure water. This is
the substance of MIR. Leighton's discussion.
He said in part:
"The majority of the people of this coun-
try depend upon rivers for their water
supply. Lakes. too, are the source of the
supply In some parts Of the country. II
has been proven that wells cannot be de-
pended upon. As for what are called dug
wells. they are out of the question They
are unsanitary. Where surface water can
be kept out of the driven and artesian
wells the water is good and pure, but no
one tell how long they will hold out
Here in Indianapolis you have had an ex-
perience of that sort The great municipal
water supply OF this country is surface
water. The best kind OF surface water is
the upland water. but In sections like this