Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-20
CAUSES OF TYPHOID
Consideration of Subject by
Local Medical Society,".
DEFENDS POTOMAC WATER
Record of the Efforts to Stamp Out
the Disease.
AS TO CALCULATING SYSTEM
Ice Cream, Ice Water and House Fly
Objects of Attack-Read-
ing of Papers.

| At a meeting of the Medical Society of
the District of Columbia last evening i'll
the lecture hall of George Washington
| University typhoid fever was the topic
| for discussion. Potomac river water. al
ways blamed in part for the prevalence
of typhoid in the District. was prac-
tically eXonerated. Experts expressed
the opinion that Potomac water, when it
leaves the taps. is far above the standard
of purity required of drinking water and
that it is absolutely safe.
| DR.. Harvey W. Wiley. chief of the
| bureau of chemistry. Department of Agri-
culture. furnished figures and facts show
| ing that drinking water becomes more or
| less impure and unfit for drinking pur-
poses by placing it in domestic filters or
| by adding ice. particularly natural Ice.
| Speak king of recent tests in his depart
ment he said ice cream is in a large
percentage of cases impure. and declared
| that many of the "unaccOuntable cases
of typhoid could be traced directly to ice
cream.
Views of Dr. Magruder.
Henry d. Fry, president of the society.
presided. He presented DR.. q. Lloyd
Magruder. who was member of the
special commission appointed by the Com
missioners of the District to investigate
the local milk supply and make recon-
mendations to better the same.
Dr. Magruder read a paper on typhoid
fever i'm the District during the past thir-
teen years. setting forth what has been
done in that time to improve the condl-
tions.
1T will be shown this evening DR..
Magruder said, that clear, absolutely
safe water is furnished direct from the
| taps the greater portion of the year; that
the slightly turbid and reasonably safe
water can readily be made clear and alb
| solutely safe: that tho prevalence OF
| typhoid fever. diphtheria. scarlet fever
| and tuberculosis can be diminished. ana
that marked diminutiOn in the diseases
and deaths of infants may be secured.
This will be accomplished by furnishing
the District Commissioners additional au-
| thority for the regulation OF DAIRY
products-milk cream. ice cream and put
ter-a meteorological laboratory and addl-
tional inspectors for the health depart
ment Many of the dangerous conditions
at dairy farms could and would at a
trifiing cost be promptly remedied We're
the farmers properly instructed by COM
petent Inspectors -
Paper on Water Supply.
Mai. Spencer Cosby. Corps of Engineers,
L S. A., in charge of the Washington
aaueduct and filtration plant, was the
next speaker. He read a paper on THE
Water Supply of Washington" giving
brief general description of the local
water supply, of the methods used to i'm
prove the quality of the water, of the re-
suits obtained, and of the experiments
made to determine the best means OF Sc
curing still better results. He recommend
ed the Introduction of coagulatlon
met hOd of treating the water.
A coagulating system. the speaker add
ed. could be installed in connection with
the Washington aQueduct at moderate
initial cost. since 1t would involve only the
erection Of a small plant for mixing and
applying the coagulant. and the making
of some changes in the Georgetown reser-
voir to enable it to be readily and period
ically cleaned of the deposits of coagu-
lated material. He explained that the
increased cost of the water supply would
be slight. which, in part, would be onset
by the reduced cost of operating the fill
tiers, as they would require cleaning at
less frequent intervals.
Use of Coagulant.
1T should be explained Major Cosby
said. that it is the intention to apply the
coagulant which would probably be sui
plate of alumina, to the water just after
1t leaves the Dalecarlia reservoir. more
than six miles from the filtration Plant,
be.Ore reaching which almost all of the
coagulated material would undoubtedly
be deposited. Experience. extending over
many years in j large number of Ameri-
can cities has shown that no Injurious
sanitary effect need ever be feared from
the use Of coagulant applied to water
under reasonable and constant chemical
supervision, such as would be employed
in this case.
1T is not our intention to adopt cOagu-
latiOn in any form without first securing
authorization of Congress. That this Will
be soon obtained is sincerely hoped.
Though our experience of the past two
years has shown that Washington is be-
ing supplied with good and wholesome
water, it has also shown that 1t is posi-
BILE to safeguard still further our water
supply so that it shall at all times be un
cxceptionable beth in quality and in ap-
pearance.'
Filters and Ice Cream.
The paper read by Dr. Wiley was en-
titled Dangers of Domestic Filters, of
Watercoolers and Ice Cream He said
that the common practice of persons re-
filtering water, instead of diminishing the
impurities and other bacteria, increases
them. and he declared that unless well
cared for the average domestic water
filter is dangerous thing and should be
handled with extreme caution
Regarding ice water. he said. it is eS-
tremely unhealthful aside from the i'm
purites it contains.
Ice whether natural or manufactured"
the speaker declared. always contains
large number Of bacteria. and is gem
orally an infected article. Natural ice
is the worst of the two, and the safe
rule to follow is not to put it into drink
ing water. Artificial ice is less danger
| Gus, but it is by no means safe for drink
ing purposes"
Speaking of ice cream, DR.. Wiley de-
scribed it as a grave menace to the public
health. He said that freezing does not
exclude organisms impurities, and very
often only helps to develop germs.
Number of Organisms.
| In explaining the amount of organisms
found in ice cream. DR.. Wiley said that
the ordinary filtered water taken from
the taps contains less than 800 organisms
to a cubic centimeter. and, according to
recent experiments made by his depart
| ment OF ice cream sold in the District
| the number of organisms to the cubic
| centimeter have often run up into the
millions. He declared that in one case