The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1904-11-25


riol, possessed exactly the virtues he
required. Tests showed that very
little of this substance will destroy
all algae organisms in small tank in
few hours and absolutely prevent
their recurrence. DR.. Moore tried the
copper sulphate in purifying the water
in reservoirs in many sections of the
country and it proved to be complete
success. The sensitiveness of the lit
tie algae organisms to the faintest
trace of copper had been so repeatedly
demonstrated that it occurred to DR..
Moore that possibly the same treat
ment might destroy disease bacteria
typhoid. cholera-in our city water
supplies All bacteria are vegetable
organisms. 1t was therefore, with
considerable anxiety that DR.. Moore
attempted to answer to the appeal of
a city in the Middle West whose water
had become infected with typhoid to
sterilize it's reservoir with copper sui
plate. He tried the experiment with
gratifying success.
The superintendent of the water
company at Butte, Montana, which for
nearly ten years had been obliged to
cut out of service it's largest reservoir
from June to December, wrote to DR..
Moore thanking him for doing with
copper sulphate at a cost of less than
5000 what the company had tried un-
successfully to accomplish at a cost Of
many thousands of dollars.
Copper is commonly believed to be a
virulent poison, and there is a deep
seated popular prejudice against using
it in any way by which it could get
into our bodies, and yet how many
people know that their daily food con-
tains considerable quantities of the
metal? They may be shocked to learn
that canned goods, fish, meat, veget-
ables, fruits, contain many times more
copper than gallon of water treated
for typhoid germs by DR.. Moore's
formula, or that even a loaf of bread
or cake Of chocolate contains more
copper than a gallon of water so treat
ed. DR.. Moore estimates that grown
person can take into his system with
out hurt two-hundredths of a grain
daily.
" A Georgia physician. has asserted
that appendicitis land other diseases
which our fathers never heard of are.
in reality, germ diseases, and that they
have become so prevalent because of
the passing away of the old-time cop
per tea kettle. A world traveller has
always wondered till now why certain
Chinese villages are not swept away
by the cholera epidemics He now
knows that they are saved by the cop
per vessels in which the villagers keep
their drinking water and with which
nothing can make them part He had
often tried to purchase some of these
copper vessels, but no price would in
duce villager to sell one. The China
men have superstition that their
lives and. prosperity depend on their
keeping their copper kettles. The
chairman of the board of health of
Massachusetts has recalled that dur
ing the last visitation of cholera in
that state the employees of the Revere
copper works seemed immune. Cop
per coins are free from disease germs,
while greenbacks swarm with them
We have fallen out of the habit of
using copper ware because enamel
ware is so much cheaper.
The latest discovery of DR.. Moore
is we'll worth the study of our au-
thorities and of the physicians of the
city, as well as of every one else