Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-11
DANGERS IN The COUNTRY
CITY PEOPLE SHOULD LOOK TO
THE WATER SUPPLY.
Possibility That the Well Has Been
Contaminated-See That Milk Is
From Healthy Cows.
From Suburban Life.

From Suburban Life.
When ailing city people having moved
into the country or to suburban town.
fail to possess themselves of that bound
ing health and renewed vitality which
they had fondly anticipated they are
prone to ascribe the fault to the climate.
As a matter of well demonstrated fact. a
large proportion of the actual sickness
and. in a large degree, the lack OF posi-
tive health is due to the more or less in
sanitary conditions which are apt TO exist
in places remote from the vigilance of
municipal health officer.
There are several prime causes of dis
ease to which. unfortunately. can be
traced much of the i'll health which exists
among villagers and country people, ano
which may be and ought to be almost en-
tirely eliminated.
OF first Importance. perhaps. is the wa
ter supply. The danger from impure wells
is an ever-present one in many country
districts, Notwithstanding the warnings
which have been sounded all along the
line from the local physician to the man
who complies the state statistics. Every
year summer visitors. not a few. are
stricken with typhoid fever, as an I'M
happy elimination Of their seasons out
ing They are usually victims OF the coun
try well, while the people who have spen,
| tDedf ives On these IdFInS SScul " oc
Immune, to a certain degree.
The various forms of danger which
Turk in the country we'll or spring are il
Illustrated by case Of which l know IN
the south. where a farmer complained
that while the cattle which he raised him.
self and which were confined to certain
pasture thrived excellently the cows in
troduced from another herd invariably
died within a few days. Subsequent in
yestigation showed that S. ring in this
y, Sv,1v, M n
with arsenic from rock through which the
water percOlated that 1t was deadly in
it's effect upon any creature except those
which had been accustomed to II from
birth.
Be Sure Of the Water.
When going to live in house where
well or spTipg is depended upon for the
water supply. the very first thing to do
is to send samples to the state board of
health. asking that it be analysed and
a prompt report rendered. In this way
the condition Of the we'll can be ascer-
tanned, but the water should be analysed
at least twice a year. This is wise pre-
caution. even though there be a town
system. and If In any case the water is
an object of suspicion 1t should be boiled
for twenty minutes. Boiled water. being
deprived of its air. Is dead water In
sense: but ii can be revitaliZed by pour
ing 1t into bottle until the latter Is
three quarters full and shaking it ener-
getically.
II there are children in the family the
source Of the mitk supply ought to be
Investigated fully as vigorously as that
from which the water comes. The resi-
dents of many small places are served
with milk which is much more likely to
be dangerous than that found In large
cities. which conduct a careful inVsstiga-
ton of the dairies from which the milk
Is obtained.
Know the Cows.
Just because you are able to purchase
your milk from some nearby farmer, you
must not aatter yourself that it is neces-
sarily pure or free from danger. The
chances are good, to be sure. that it will
not be Wateredy but before you give this
milk to your children you should ascer-
tain by observation that the stable in
which the cows are kept is clean. well
lighted and we'll ventilated: also that
the cattle are carefully groomed: that
they are MIXED by men who are cleanly
In their personal habits. who keep their
finger-nails clean, who wash their hands
before milking. and who are careful to
see that impurities do not get into the
pail You should insist. as we'll. that the
milk be cooled in tank of cold water
or by means Of ice. as soon as 1t is
drawn. Be sure that your milkman has
II the milk used in your family comes
from one two cows only. Although
there may be a few diseased cows in a
herd the milk from them will be mixed
with that from the other cows to such
an extent that the danger from IL will
be minimized; but when all the milk is
secured from the same cow daily the
danger Is greatly increased in case that
COW should not be in perfect health.
All these precautions are no more than
those demanded by the board of health
OF every vide-awake city, and the re-
auirements are not nearly SO stringent
as are exacted In many instances.
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