The Washington times., 1904-11-13
USE Of COPPER
AS A GERMICIDE
Varying Results Reached
by the EXperimenters.
DR.. MOORE IS ENTHUSIASTIC
Professor Long Finds That Disappear
ance of Bacilli Is Not Due 10
Presence Of Copper.

The enthusiastic and unconditional ad-
vocacy by Edward Martin, director of
the Philadelphia water works. of copper
as "a germicide i'm purifying drinking
water contaminated with typhoid ba-
GILL; has attracted widespread attention
10 the work of Drs. Moore and Keller
man. of the United States Department
OF Agriculture-much more. probably,
than these investigators had looked for.
AS Is well known, the original object
OF their researches was 70 discover
chemical that would destroy certain
forms of algae that render drinking
water kept in reservoirs offensive 10
taste and smell. Copper was found To
have this power I'm solutions so dilute
that-at least. so Drs. Moore and Kel-
lerman maintain-it is harmless 10 the
consumer of water. The strongest so
luton found necessary is that OF one
part copper 10 a million parts water.
Copper Meets Requirements.
In a recent address before the Phuo-
sOphical Society Dr. Moore stated that
copper fulhlls the three requisites to be
considered by municipalities IN under
taking TO purify their water supply
from algae. and even from bacterial
growth; namely, efficiency. harmless
ness, and cheapness-a reservoir holding
So,000.000 gallons having been success
fully treated at a cost not greater than
$50.
There is sufficient evidence that re-
garding algal growth the method is ef-
fcient ii has been successfully applied
In several New England towns-in FL
mira and Cambridge, y. Y, and in
Butte, Mon. Regarding its value in de-
stroylng typhoid fever germs however.
opinions are conflicting. DR. Martin
claims. as the result of some experi-
ments made al the laboratory of the
bureau OF health of Philadelphia. that
typhoid bacilli are destroyed in drinking
water kept i'm copper vessels for four
hours, the destruction being accom-
plished by the colloidal solution of con-
per formed by the action of the water
on the walls Of the vessel.
Gets Different Results.
Quite different results. however. have
been obtained by Prof. John Il. Long.
OF the Northwestern University Of Mi
nois. who has investigated the subject
at the request of the Illinois State board
of health. According 10 him, while the
death-rate of typhoid bacim is high in
sterilized water placed I'm contact with
copper, the germs can persist in sus-
piciOus water for two or three days. and
even longer. Prof Long. moreover.
claims that the disappearance of the
typhoid bacilli from water in a conner
vessel cannot be attributed entirely 10
the germicidal action OF copper Typhoid
bacilh disappear from ordinary water
In from one 10 ten days, and from Chi
cago tap water In about five days
Hence the disappearance Of the baciU
four hours after their addition 10 the
water may be due not only To the ac-
tiOn Of the copper, but also TO the nat
ural destruction OF these bacilH in
water
The Colloidal Solutions.
DR.. Pennington, Of the Philadelphia
health bureau. is experimenting al pres
ent with colloidal solutions Of copper OBJ
tanned by passing water over electrically
charged copper plates But even If cop
per I'm the extremely dilute solutions ad-
vOcated is capable OF destroying typhoid
bacilli, II stilI remains 10 be settled
whether Il is entirely harmless 10 hu-
man beings. A prior, any chemical!
capable of destroying resistant bacteria
must be looked upon as harmful 10 ami
NAL cells. and as the question stands at
present. it would be mwise for "a city
10 treat IT'S whole water supply with