Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1912-11-19
Be SURE OF YOUR
DRINKING WATER
Georgia State Board ct Health Stress
es Importance of Pure Water
in Protection of Health.

haps deadly disease germs?
Pure drinking water is of such vi
tai Importance in the protection and
| preservation of health, says the Geor-
gia State Board of Health, that not
only every community, but each iso-
lated family, should be absolutely sat
/ isted as to the quality of the water 1t
has to use.
Bad Whitewater polluted by hui
man excI eta--is frequent source OF
4 typho fever. it may be the cause
of dangerous community epidemics.
! Plymouth, Pa, with 5000 Inhabitants,
had 1000 cases of typhoid and 100
deaths because, through carelessness,
the infected excreta from one typhoid
patient, thrown out upon the hillside
SHOWS, got into its source of drinking
water. The cause was discovered be-
yond question, but when it was too
late; the damage had been done
Bad water is also a conveyor OF
cholera and, there can be little doubt,
of dysentery and other diseases. Be
sides, polluted water. even If free
from these disease germs, is debili.
tating to the system and unsafe for
use by children and those with deli
cate stomachs.
Water, to be good should not only
be clear and colorless that is free
from suspended matter giving rise to
a cloudy or milky appearance, but 1t
Should above all, be free from all
kinds OF an NAL contamination, partic-
ularly that which proceeds from man
and which is the real cause of trans
ferred disease For domestic use 1t
is best that it be soft or free from an
excess of mineral matter.
! CITY and town water supplies from
rivers or small streams, should al
ways be filtered before distribution.
Filtration Is essent al, it has been
known in many instances to reduce
materially the number of typhoid
cases. I he purity OF the water wnen
it reaches the home Is dependent
upon the care exercised in preventing
dh4hidl anu Huuldh pcllutlOH III inc
source, and the thoroughness of filtra-
ton and purihcation before stribu-
ton. Arteslan water, If from O good
depth, may be easily kept in its state
of original purity by protection from
| contamination at the mouth of the
well.
Inc Board of Health has for some
time been engaged in the work Of
o. n "a % 81
gia cities and towns with view to
determining their purity. In the ma
jority of instances the boards ex-
animation has found that the water
supplies were comparatively pure !;
but in some cases contamination or
probable sources of contamination,
were found and warning given. The
town authorities have usually been
prompt to remedy such conditions.
But equally important in the aggre-
gate, with the protection of the town
and city water supply. is the preser-
walton of the purity of the well and
spring water which must be used ev-
erywhere in the country by the fam
lily and frequently by small ccmmuni-
ties. An infected well may spread
typhoid or dysentery to an entire
country community. and then the in
lection may disappear from the well
before the disease develops.
While impurities are frequently
washed into the well or spring from
the pig pen or the barnyard, it s the
unsanitaIy privy that is the chief
source OF danger and disease Ii Is
the privy whose seepings drain into
the ground and are carried to the
well ty rains: II Is the filth which
may gather around the top of the we'll
or spring and be washed into II by
the first shower that comes. II Is the
filth which may be left around the
we'll by unclean feet, or on the bucket
by unclean hands that Is likely to
put the disease germ in the next dip
per of water that is taken for drink
ing purposes Cleanliness around the
well is Gil important; 1t may best be
protected by surround ng layer OF
concrete.
Put hest of all is the covered well
with a pump. Speaking from sari-
tary standpoint, the open well with
it's old-fashoued and too often germ
laden bucket. is back number: safe
protection of drinking water demands
the covered well and pump, and the
covering must be of some material
impervious to water, such as concrete
and cemert. through which no filth
may trickle
The most important lesson which
the people of Georgia must learn. par
ticularly in the country districts. at
the school house as well as at the
home, in order to prevent the contain
ination of drinking water. is the ne
cessity of constructing and useing the
sanitary dry closet The Board of
Health will be glad 10 furnish. uDon
application. approved plans for the
bu'lding Of sanitary dry closets which
NAV be considered perfectly safe.
The Board of Health will also make
free analyses OF drinking water for
communities or individual families
Municipality, schools, factories or
other communities where many per-
sons drink from one source, and
which are DESTROYS. of such analysis
and examination. should make aDDli-
cation direct 10 DR. II. r Harris. Sec
rotary state Board OF Health. Atlanta.
Individuals desiring their we'll water
analyzed. should amply through the
member Of the hoard residing in their
congress- onal district. While the
samples OF water for analysis may he
sent in any convenient thoroughly
sterilized vessel, it will he found
much more satisfactory and eener-
ally productive of better results to
arronoe with the State Board of
Heath to have forwarded its special
w prepared kit CONTAINING ster'l'7e1
bottles which NAV be returned mack
% IN ice. and with which full direc-
lions are sont regarding preparation
and shipment Of samples for analysis.