Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-09-08
COPPER AND GERMS.
Many Divergent Views of Chemists and
Psychologists.
From the Philadelphia Ledger.

From the Philadelphia Ledger
When Director Martin, about a fortnight
ago. made public his views upon the Value
of COPPER as a germicide and declared that
PHILADELPHIA drinking water could be MADE
sterile by mere storage in copper vessels
under certain defined conditions, the Public
Ledger felt 1t to be its duty in the absence
of any scientific testimony upon the subject
or of the details of the meteorological and
chemical experiments and tests upon which
DR. Martin has based his conclusions, to
sound a note of warning upon the subject.
The ground was taken that in a matter OF
such vital Importance as the public health,
and in dealing with chemical agencies which
the highest authorities up on the subject
have always regarded as having poisonous
qualities the wholesale application of rem
edies to the public drinking water and the
treatment Of household supplies should be
placed in the hands OF experts and not left
to the initiativ of the ignorant.
RECOGNIZING at the same time, however,
the great importance OF the elimination of
disease germs from the drinking water and
the possible danger of discouraging the
annlica tion of results to that end of the
very latest scientific research, the Public
Ledger at once set on root an exhaustive
inquiry among PSYCHOLOGISTS and chemists
as to the true value of copper as a germi-
eide and DIR. Martin has since supplemented
their opinions with fuller statement of
his own and with some details of tests
made In Philadelphia. With these state
ments and opinions the readers of the Pub
lie Ledger are already familiar through the
full publications made in the issues of Au-
gust %, September 5. 9 and Z. The situa-
ton may be briefly summarized this way:
Director Martins contention, that 'col-
lodial solution" of copper, resulting from
the storage of water in copper vessel at
the temperature of an ordinary living room,
is fatal to typhoid germs In three hours,
was based in the first instance upon expert
ments made in the laboratory of plant
physiology of the United States Depar tment
of Agriculture, and is sustained by the au-
thors of those tests Drs Moore and ENller-
man. Their investigations We're mao uri-
mariIy into the use of copper sulphate to
kill vegetable growths In water a p:ocess
the efficiency of which in scientific hands
has not been seriously disputed, but the in
quiry necessarily became broader and in
cluded the value of copper as a means of
DESTROYING bacilli DR.. Moore contends that
the toxic quality of copper is fatal to dis
ease germs alone leaving untouched those
not injurious to the human system; that
the water so treated remains hygienic and
palatable. and that while the Experiments
are by no means complete they have gone
far enough to satisfy him that metallic
conner is germicidal and that the danger,
of copper poisoning has long been exagger-
ated.
Tests made by two PSYCHOLOGISTS in the
service of the department of health fully
confirmed the conclusions of the Washing
ton investigators as to the complete sterili-
cation of germ-tainted water by mere con-
tact with copper vessel: another bacteri-
ologist employing different methods oh
tanned contracy results, but his report has
not yet been made public. Moreover. chem
ical testimony was advanced to show that
the popular idea of the toxic effect of cop
per Is largely erroneous
The chemists as rule have maintained
an attitude of reserve. urging that con-