The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-04-13
Tie Virginia chemists Club held

The Virginia Chemists Club held its
fourth regular meeting at the Mechanics
Institute last night. This session was
public, the first Of the kind the club has
had, and it is planned that others of
equal interest shall be,held.
DR. T. w. Mugrider, president Of the
Chemists Club. after announcing that
ordinary business would DO dispensed
with and welcoming the audience, intro
duccd the speaker Of the evening. DR..
E. C. Levy. DR.. Levy's lecture, which
was we'll illustrated with lantern slides,
proved TO- be most entertaining and In
structive, and was In part as follows,
the subject being 1.-THE Relation Of Water
Supply to Disease':t,
'.rhe two greatest diseases which are
to- day recognized as being frequently
water borne are Aslatic cholera and ty-
phoid fever. The special fact which
makes water epidemics Of such import
ance is that every household in the COM
munity is endangered II the public water
supply becomes contaminated for every
one drinks water, some Of them not often
enough to run any serious risk, but all
at least occasionally.
Typhoid Fever.
'In tho case of typhoid fever, the in
lection is invariably conveyed by swat
lowing the germs which have been
thrown off in the excrement or urine
Of some one else who has the disease.
Not nice thought this. but III no
other way can typhoid fever be con-
tracted. Nowhere in nature outside of
the human system does the typhoid
bacillus find conditions suitable for its
| multiplication. The means by which
these hacilli reach the victim are many,
| but their source is always the same.
fortuna ely, there are in nature
| many agencies which are constantly
a work lessenng the danger. Other
wise few OF us would escape. When,
for example, typhoid baclli get into
water, they do not thrive, but pro-
coed to die out with greater or less
rapidly, owing to number of causes
When they get into milk, this is quite
another story, for here they multiply
with astonishing rapidity, single
bacillus giving rise to progeny Of
4 millions in the course of few hours
especially If tho milk is allowed tt
| remain warm.
ut must not, therefore. be supposed
that water is by any means the only
vehicle by which typhoid fever is con.
veyed. In the North it has been pretty
conclusively shown that regular
Geath-rate of over 20 or 25 per 1000
cach year means contaminated water
supply.
"But in tho South lowing, 1T seems prob
bable, to the higher temperature) tn
other agencies which are responsible a
the North for the residual rate Of 20 O
Is per 100. 900 are moro active, and man.
cities with water supplies. above suspi
cion have high typhoid death rates, as
for example, Charleston, which gets 1t
water supply from artesian wells, pre-
sumably pure When I was in Roanoll
last week / founl that in 1906 they lla
twenty-five deaths from typhoid fovel
which was a ratio Of SO pei. 100000, We
they have a wonderful supply of pu1'
water.
"Of course, 1t IS lido to expect that tn
introduction OF any system OF water pur
hcation will lower the number of death
from typhoid fever unless the water SUI
ply was originally responsible.
Water Publication.
"The science OF water publication ha