The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1911-08-12

That three-quarters Of the typhoid deaths are
due to water Mr.. Hazen himself declares. That
three-quarters is referred to In the first para
graph of this article as the fifteen thousand
needlessly slaughtered each year by polluted
water" Because. to quote Mr.. Hazen. three
quarters of the typhoid deaths could be pre-
vented, and thereby could be stopped this need
less loss of vital capital that Is going on year
after year."
The way to save that three-quarters. them Is
by being careful, which in this case means by
providing pure water. As Mr. Hazen puts 1t,
by fltering all the water supplies OF the I'M
portant cities of the country, and by insttut-
ing other necessary sanitary reforms"
AS proof of this let see what has happened
to the death rate in those localities that have
purified their water supplies. The typhoid rate
Of Rensselaer, for ten years averaged 619 per
100000 population. In 1908, after the water was
filtered, It fell to 30. Hudson changed from
Hudson river water to a purer supply, and the
rate fell from 592-the ten:year average-to
Ill. Poughkeepsie's rate used to average 112.
In 1907 the filtration plant was improved and
the rate fell to S4.5, In Albany the ten-year
average before filtration was 1873. Since fltra-
ton the ten-year average has been 22.2
In Pennsylvania, Pittsburg had a typhoid
rate according to Health Director e. R. Wal.
tiers. that from 1901 to 1907 averaged 1877. In
1907 the city spent $6.500.000 for a filter sys-
tenn. During the three years since. the typhoid
rate has been 319-a decrease Of more than
75 per cent.
Chicago affords an even more striking exam.
pie of the benefit of purifying the water supply.
In 1891 Chicagos typhoid rate was 1913 per
100 900, the highest average typhoid rate in the
civilized world. Chicago purified its water by
building its wonderful drainage canal to keep
its sewage out of'Lake Michigan. In 1908 Chi.
Cages typhoid rate was 15.6-a reduction Of 81
per cent.
Excellent as these achievements are. there ID
a possibility Of an even greater reduction In the
typhoid rate.
The methods Of water publication are various
Undoubtedly filtration comes FIRST; but ultra
ton is not infallible
Another method Of publication is the use of
huge storage reservoirs. Water is q poor me-
dunn for disease germs. and in It they die
quickly. To quote Mr.. Whipple again: The
typhoid bacillus does not multiply In ordinary
drinking water On the contrary the cells die.
49,. Ultimately all the cells die. The rate
varies greatly. In some experiments all died in
to days. In others germs lived a month
In very cold water mortality IL more rapid I"
Hence II water can be impounded in large
reservoirs and held for time. It tends to purify
iteslf
Sewage disposal is fully as important A w.
ter purifcation--that Is. for any purpose except
the saving Of human life. II property is at
stake It is indispensable.
The problem of clean water 10 evidently not
dinicult one to solve No nation has a finer
supply Of water than we have.
At the least you can guard the water thai
comes into your house. Sec that you ret frssh
water from the mains. and not water that haA
stood for hours in the lead or brass pipes with
in the house. House nlters are plentiful. but
few Of them are efhcisnt They ars merely
strainers. Don't put Ice in your water. II may
contaminats It. Your great safeguard h - boil.
ing your water. Particularly Il this necessary
often break ous