The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-01-06


In Washington last summer was
not due to the presence of bnc-
terra in the filtered Potomac
winter.
IL was due In part 90 water used
from contaminated wells and
springs.
Ii was due in larger degree tO
the milk supply contaminated nt
the source Of production On the
farms of Maryland, Virginia, and
the District of Columbia.
C. Lloyd Magruder. NJ. D.
Dr. c. Lloyd Magruder. of Stoneleigh
Court, has gathered a mass Of infOrma-
ton bearing upon the contamination Of
the Washington milk supply by polluted
wells and springs on the farms where it
is produced. which he viii place before
the committees Of Congress- In support
OF the pending bill appropriating money
to establish and maintain meteorological
laboratory IN connection with the Dis
trict health Office.
Dr. Magruder started his inyestiga tions
along this line TO prepare for an address.
which he delivered before the American
Society Of Civil Engineers, in New York
/ City. last November. IN this address
/ he presented proof that the prevalence
/ of typhoid fever in Washington last sum-
| mer was not primarily due to the filtered
/ Potomac water. bur to the milk supply,
poisoned at the sources OF production IN
Maryland. Virginia, and the District Of
1 Columbia.
Describes Experiments.
| In an interview yesterday afternoon Dr.
Magruder described in detail The expert
monts made by the scientists Of the War
Department and -he chemists Of the De
partment Of Agriculture 10 prove this
/ assertion lie presented the facts IN
! tables prepared by these experts in bac-
/ teriology. which force the conclusion that
/ Washington is better off. 50 far as IS
water supply IS concerned, than the best
cities Of the world. and that the chief
/ menace lies IN the milk supply. which
must be purified before the District can
4 be free from the annual recurrence Of
+ typhoid fever
/ As a means to this end DIT Magruder
| urges the appropriation 10y Congress ~
money sufficient TO equip the local heath
Office with haCteri0logiCal laboratory,
/ by which tire proper study If the subject
/ may be pursued. the infected farms dis
/ covered, and the milk supply from them
cut of until thei- diaries are conducted
I in a clearly manner free from the con-
/ tamination Of typhoid germs.
/ Or. MagrudeT traces the history Of the
] HrsF. nl d Medical
4 Society, Of Washington, IN conjunction
I with the army engineers and the experts
/ OF the Department of Agriculture. re-
[ sultiuS r. tie construction of the ultra
ton plant and its cleansing OF the water
supply lie then turns 20 the other phases
Of the problem and shows the necessity
/ for further effort to lid the District Of
/ the plague Of typhoid fever
/ Traced 10 Cumberland.
The most significant facts contained in
! this portion Of his address are that,
/ through the efforts Of Dr. George NJ.
/ Kober the epidemic 9f typhoid fever in
Washington in 1Sli was traced directly
/ 10 the contamination of the Potomac by
I a similar epidemic in Cumberland that
year BY comparison Of data between
! the years 1885 and 1876, on the bacteria
/ Of the Potomac water. the conclusion IS
/ reached that the filtration plant saved
/ the city from q worse fate in the sum
mer og 1906.
Dr. Magruder states that the filtered
water Of Lawrence. Mass, is taken as
. the standard of pure water by engineers
and baCteriologists the world over, when
/ discussing this subject In two tables
4 he presents the results OF actual count
/ OF bacteria in filtered water Of the Massa-
! chusetts city and that OF Washington Tor
/ the first six months Of 1906, including -Che
months Of the greatest prevalence OF ty-
l phoid fever here.
/ DIT NIagruder refers to the report made
( by a special committee of the Medical
Society of the District made in 1901, on
the subject of typhoid fever. The com
mittee was composed of Drs. William
/ W. Johnson. G. n Hammett and G.
! Lloyd Magruder. The committee made an
/ investigation lasting five months.
Potomac No Longer Menace.
Correspondence between the District
Commissioners and Surgeon General Wy
man. of the United States Marine Hos
pital Service. last summer. in which the
conclusion was prcmaturely reached that
the chief source Of contagion was the
u water supply, and that the filtration plant
had failed in its main purpose. led to an
investigation, started by Dr. Magruder,
and pursued with energy in the interven-
ing months, is next taken up
Dr. MagTuder, through conference with
the chemists OF the Department of Agri-
culture, and through the able assistance
Of the officials in charge of the filtration
plant, now presents Data bearing upon the
| subject, which he regards as conclusive
| that the Potomac water is no longer a
menace TO the public health. but that the
danger arises largely from the milk
supply.
The results Of conferences with the
scientists named led TO a series of ex-
peTiments having for their object, first
TO prove the efficacy OF the filtration and
second, the peril lurking in the milk.
/ The experiments were made by the Off
Gals of the filtration plant and by TIE
I chemists OF the Department of Agricul-
| ture Independently and when notes were
| compared they were found TO differ in no
/ essential degree. The results were tabu-
lated at the Department Of Agriculture.
and were submitted to DR.. Magruder by
Secretary Wilson, with letter attesting
to the accuracy OF the data given. The
! experiments We're made with water taken
1 from the filtration beds and from taps
at the following places throughout the
city: The Rockingham, No. IS D street
/ southwest, Twenty-eighth street and
/ Pennsylvania avenue, Massachusetts
avenue and Tenth street, First street
and Rhode Island avenue. Twenty
second and X streets northwest, Thirty
third and VI streets northwest, Seventh
and B streets southeast, 1902 Newark
street, Massac husetts and Wisconsin
avenues, Thirty-sixth street and Pros
pect avenue, Twenty-second and X streets