Evening star., 1911-08-13
PDALTH CoMMIssIoNER LID
DERLE of New York city dur
ing the extreme hot weather OF
July emphasized the fact that

DEhlAE or New York city dur
ing the extreme hot weather OF
~ July emphasized the fact that
upon the diet depended the good
or bad health OF the average person, and
his or her ability to withstand the exces-
sive heat. Meat, he declared, should be
in the menu only once in twentyefour
hours. and cold sweet beverages should
be Stunned almost entirely. Such drinks.
he declared. upset the digestion. even
though affording momentary relief. The
best Of all thirst quenchers, he added, was
plenty Of cool water. not iced to a frigid
temperature.
Indeed, all physicians agree that water
In summer time cannot be taken In too
large quantities to make up for the
waste. bs,t the prov1so IL. It must be pure
The usual test for pure drinking water
is that It be free from color, smell or
taste. be soft. bright and aerated and
free from all deposit" 1t Is safe to as
sumo that water can seldom be found
that exactly fulflls these conditions.
Water infected with the germs Of typhoid
fever may Be as clear as crystal, odoriess
and tastelee1: while the malodo1ous water
OF spring impregnated with sulphur 10
veritable fountain of health
The worst impurities are those which only
show themselves upon chemical analysds
While an ideal water supply contains
neither animal nor vegetable life, its
power OF dissolv1ng all substances In the
earth through which It flows renders IL AL
most an impossfbility to obtain water
without trace OF one or the other. No
one. indeed. need be seriously shocked at
the dfRcOWArv ~
| sects or water worms such as are often
| found In the purest spring water, or the
turbidness occasioned by a severe storm,
But here arises the necessity for fiter,ng
| or boiling water that is used for drinking
as for cooking purposes. The ice supply
Us too frequently a menace to health.
holding as IL does the fmp ur1ties from
pond and river. Instead OF adding ice a.
rectly to the drinking water Ii will be
found much safer to put the water In
clean bottles and lay on the ice
water that Is too hard should be boiled
pefore using A filter is a necessity
with the average water supply. Not the
cumoersome cur Old flter formerly in use.
put small, inexpensive one that can be
frequently cleaned out and renewed
A homemade filter that nlls all the
requirements necessary consists OF thin
muslin bag OF coarsely crushed charcoal
tied to the faucet.
That many serious diseases are directly
traceabie to impure drinking water, and
that variety Of minor ailments result
from merely a change IN water, goes
without saying Many q case OF typhoid
fever that develops In the fall has its
origin In the "moss-covered bucket or
the picturesque we'll that adds poetic
charm TO the old farmhouse, but has,
afas, too close an affinity for the barn.
yard or the kitchen drain for the we'll
being Of the consumer
II, In casting about for summer ouar
terS, more attention is paid to inquiring
into the water supply and the sanitary
environment. and less to haggling over
tho lowest possible terms" the health
dividends, as declared In the fall, might
be much more satisfactory"